Other Self
by Janvierecouter
Summary: "I want to give you the strong, confident brother you deserve" Ryou told me. So HE appeared. This horrible person took his place. This thief that terrifies me. I need my brother back. (slight retcon)
1. Who I am

I remember the day my brother first admitted he had a problem.

It was after our mother's funeral. He stood strong that day, avoiding our father's gaze. His coat sleeve was draped over the cast as he tried his best not to let anyone see it. His knees trembled the entire time as he bit back his tears.

He lasted until we got home that night.

Our father dropped us off at our apartment and drove away, not saying a word. He didn't plan on coming back any time soon and this was the only exception he was willing to make for the sake of his family.

My brother cried for a whole three days. He wouldn't calm down. I always thought he was very sensitive and that he didn't show any improvement with age, but I never expected it to get bad enough to endanger his health.

He had a pattern for his episodes.

He swallowed hard a couple of times. Then, his tears started spilling out and rolling down his cheeks. For the longest time, he cried silently, clutching his chest as his shoulders raised and lowered constantly. He always believed he shouldn't draw attention to himself with his misery so he always tried his best to be quiet.

He didn't come out of his room the entire time. He sat on his bed, sobbing with his face in his knees, his cast hanging limply from the bandage around his neck. I came to bring him food and medicine, but he didn't notice me at all. He needed a nurse to properly tend to his wounds, but he refused to return to the hospital.

I kept coming every few hours to pick up the untouched plates and clean them up in the kitchen. I heard his sobbing through the walls of my bedroom every night. He didn't stop for anything except hiccuping and to draw his breath, then started again in full force.

By the third day, I got fed up. I stormed up to his bed and put my hands on his shoulders, drawing his attention to me. I didn't squeeze too tightly, but held on firmly and slowly slid my hands lower to pull him up by his forearms. He lifted his gaze to look at me, his bangs sticking wetly to his cheekbones. He always cried with an expressionless face like this, tears gushing out without showing any emotion to support them. It felt more like if he was just reacting automatically.

"You have to stop, Ryou" I told him, trying my best not to sound upset with him. It only made things worse if I did. "It wasn't your fault."

"I know." he replied in a low voice and hid his head in his knees again.

"But-" he whispered after a long pause "- I can't stop."

I sighed deeply. I didn't know what to say to him. Losing mom was a huge blow for both of us. I couldn't comfort him properly since I was suffering as well. Even if she said terrible things sometimes, it was always out of motherly love and we knew it. She meant the world to us.

"I know how you feel, Ryou, you know I do. But...you have to move on. We need to pull ourselves together and make a plan on how we're going to take care of ourselves from now on. It's just you and me now. It really pains me to see you heartbroken, little brother. So please, for MY sake, stop crying".

And that's when he lifted his eyes again to give me a dead stare, his good hand still clutching his heart tightly as he spoke bitterly.

"I _CAN'T_ stop."

That's when I realized it.

He wasn't a sensitive person. _He had a problem._

* * *

Kamigari High was a great choice for him, considering the high entry threshold.

Mother would've been proud to know he was one of the highest graded first year students even at such an elite school. His exam results allowed him to get into the best first year class and his homeroom teacher was known as a kind and dedicated person who nurtured some of the brightest minds in the country.

As for me, I wasn't sure I would even make it to college. My results were mediocre at best and my expectations were low. Even with Ryou's encouragement, I begrudgingly put down Domino College as my first choice.

Oh, well, there's nowhere to go but up.

* * *

"It'll be fine. I believe in you, sis! I'll do my best to help out as well." he said to me every time I took a break from studying. I rubbed my tired eyes. My head was a mess and I didn't understand anything.

"You should focus on your own exams first" I told him. "Especially now that you have to catch up with class 1-B"

"It's alright; we were ahead in lessons so it's really the other way around. I'm doing fine" he stated, rubbing his sore cheek. I sighed. The doorknob again, was it.

"I'm sorry about your teacher. How long will he be gone?"

"I don't know, the principal said his health hasn't improved the past few weeks."

"You guys were doing so well together, too…"

"Well, when our class disbanded many of us got redistributed to 1-B. Kamina is there too, so it's not like I'm all alone" he smiled reassuringly at me.

Kamina was one of the few friends my brother had. Despite being rather popular ever since grade school, Ryou was very shy and reclusive. He always came home early and only ever used the game room to play his favorite game "Monster World" by himself. I felt relieved when I heard he was getting along with someone.

"Alright, if you really want to help me, then please explain this equation to me, I'm completely stumped" I pointed out using my pencil.

"The first one of Chapter 1?"

"…m-hmm"

* * *

 _"This has to be a mistake!"_

 _"I'm sorry, madam, but I don't understand what you're implying"_

 _"Do you think I don't know? Do you think I can't tell the truth?"_

 _"Misses Bakura, please…"_

 _"I was there too, dear. I know it's hard to believe, but this really is him.."_

 _"No he is not! What they've handed me is NOT my child! This looks nothing like my poor baby boy!"_

 _"We have no reason to trick you, misses Bakura. It would be unethical and a breach of our medical oath to-"_

 _"This is not my son. My son never got a chance at life. That's all that happened. And this hoax…I hope the heavens punish you for your ill-willed attempt at tricking a grieving mother"_

* * *

"Congratulations!" he said as I entered the kitchen that morning.

I looked around, smelling the choking stench of smoke rise up from the pan on the stove. He waved at me to hold on as he put the last hot piece of okonomiyaki in the home-made bento box. He closed the lid, tied it up in a ribbon and handed it to me, smiling gently.

I smiled worriedly and took it from him. His arms were wrapped up to his elbows, his hair disheveled and patches adorned his chin and cheeks. The kitchen was a mess.

He was well meaning, but very clumsy.

"Thank you." I replied softly, his smile widening as I said that. "But you didn't have to do this for me"

He shook his head, his long hair flaying softly.

"I won't get many chances to see you anymore starting next week. I wanted to make today as memorable as possible" he said, rubbing his sore bandaged arm as he spoke.

I pouted, examining his wounds as he chuckled nervously. He broke the silence between us by grabbing me in a deep hug.

"Have a good time while you're away at college, big sis. I love you"

I returned the hug "I won't be gone all the time, Ryou. I have summer and winter breaks and I'll visit often." I pulled away and poked his bruised cheek "Heavens knows you need me around the house".

* * *

The entrance ceremony was grand.

Domino College held over 1000 students in its courtyard. Students who were smarter, prettier and more ambitious than me. I had to admit, I felt rather nervous. A small smile tugged at my lips as I heard my most enthusiastic supporter clapping in the back besides the other family members that escorted us.

A pat on my back snapped me out of my daze and I turned around, feeling relieved as I recognized her.

"I see you passed the exam as well, Amane. I'm so glad that we'll be classmates again. It's been so long!" she grinned at me. A couple of other girls surrounded us and started chatting with her. "And to think that I'll be going to college with so many familiar faces by my side!" she added, introducing every one of her high-school girl friends to me.

My worries dissipated. It was more like a reunion than a new beginning.

"Ah, I guess I can leave now that you've settled in" I heard my brother's voice coming closer to me, still clapping his sore hands lightly as he did.

I pulled him besides me and showed him to all the girls there.

"I don't think you guys have met before. Chisa, everyone, this is my little brother" I said, pointing at him. He blushed a little and made a deep bow.

"I-It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Bakura Ryou. I…um, I'm glad to be here today for my sister's college inauguration" he nervously stuttered his greeting.

The girls chuckled in delight and Chisa gave me a slight nudge on the arm.

"Oh, my, he's so polite!" she giggled "- adorable too" she added.

"How old is he?" she asked me, as if talking about a pet.

"15, ma'am. I started high-school this year." he said, avoiding eye contact.

The girls collectively squealed at him and surrounded him in a closed-knit circle, preventing him from running away.

"Wow, he's the same age as my bratty brother. Can't believe they're so different! Say, say, can we trade? Just for a while! I want to know what it's like to have a proper sibling!" Chisa joked, grabbing Ryou roughly by the arm as he winced in pain.

"So like you to go for younger ones, Chisa! But you can't have this one all to yourself you know!" another girl pulled on his other arm.

Soon enough they all started chattering loudly, asking him various questions, some more private than others. I was quickly tossed aside and forgotten in my little friend circle.

"Say, what's your favorite band?"

"Well, I don't have any I particularly like…."

"I love your hairstyle!"

"T-thank you, I guess…"

"Do you like miso soup? I can cook it for you!"

"Please no...I'm good"

"What do you do on the weekends? I'm free this week, and next week and…"

"…"

Ryou was becoming more and more visibly uncomfortable as there seemed to be no end to their poking and prodding, as he struggled to get them to stop. I decided to take the initiative and made room to push him out of the beasts' jaws.

"Sorry, everyone, my brother doesn't have any more time left to talk today. He'll be back next month, ok?" I waved at them as we walked to the entrance of the college campus.

"Sorry about that, Ryou" I sighed once we were out of earshot. "Don't take it to heart."

"It's alright, all the girls in my class are the same. And class 1-C…2-A…the rest of the school...our 6th floor neighbor …." his voice faded more and more as the list went on. He paused for thought. "Amane, do you think I'm…attractive?"

"Well, by girl's standards, you're quite cute". I rolled it around in my mind as I tried explaining it the best I could. "Girls like emotional, sweet and caring boys like you." I added.

He looked upset.

"I don't want to be that"

I frowned. Ryou always puzzled me with his way of thinking.

"What do you want to be then?"

"I…I don't know" he stated truthfully as he looked away, his soft eyes lost in the horizon's distance. "Just not that."


	2. What can I do

The first few months of college went by faster than I imagined.

Exam session came and went and I managed to get passing grades throughout the year. I kept in touch with Ryou mostly through the phone and the many, many letters he sent me. He had developed an intriguing writing style toying around with his RPG scenarios and loved glossing over everything that was going on back home.

He seemed to be doing better than me on all fronts and he had settled in well with class 1-B. He still didn't know the names of most of his classmates or even his teachers, but he knew what "Monster World" expansion kit he wanted to buy. A sad smile tugged at my lips. I missed him a lot more than I thought I would.

"Amane, there's a call for you" a girl called from the hallway.

The teacher stopped the lecture and everyone turned to stare at me. In the middle of class? Was something wrong?

I got out of my seat and followed the hallway monitor to the principal's office. I felt nervous and worried. The principal handed me the phone receptor.

"Hello, miss Bakura?" came a voice from the other end.

"Y-yes, this is her..."

"Good, I've been trying to reach someone in your household for a while. This is Principal Kamigari."

* * *

"Ryou! Are you home?" I said as soon as I unlocked the front door. I was furious. "I had a talk with your principal, what is this about you skipping school for the past month?"

Silence.

"Ryou! Answer me, I can see the lights on in your game room!"

The door cracked open just a bit and he peeked at me.

"Ah, Amane, I didn't expect to see you back so soon….I have a cold, sorry I didn't tell you sooner" he answered in a low voice and closed the door again.

I frowned. He could've at least called the school to let them know about it. This didn't feel right.

I slammed open the door as hard as I could. I rarely bothered him while he was working on his figurines so that sudden move made him jump out of his seat.

He was covered in bruises and small wounds. I stared at him in silence and he turned towards the window so I wouldn't see his face.

"Ryou…"

"It's fine, really, it'll heal soon. I'll go back to school right after that" he tried to salvage the situation. "…it's just, I'm so bad at housekeeping…" he added warily as he placed the still drying mage on the table.

"Who did this to you?"

"It's fine, sis."

"No it's not. Who did this?"

He started swallowing hard.

"It doesn't matter" he whispered as I tugged his shirt to make him sit down on the floor to face me.

 _How long has this been going on?_

"Why didn't you tell the homeroom teacher?"

"It's my responsibility. I need to keep my promise". Tears were rolling down his cheeks as he spoke.

"To who? Kamina? What did he do?"

"Nothing. That's why it didn't seem fair to me…" he clutched his chest and stopped.

"You defended him?"

The slightest nod escaped him.

I sighed.

"You can't go on like this. You need to tell the teacher"

He shook his head fiercely.

"You NEED to tell him, little brother."

"Please, sis. You have to understand. I…I can fix this on my own. I can…handle anything" he stammered as he rested his head on the carpet. I patted his head gently as his sight went hazy and forced an end to our conversation.

* * *

"You didn't need to go this far, sis" he complained as I tugged him along by the arm.

"The principal will handle this from here on out." I insisted as we turned the corner in front of our apartment building. "Hope those bullies get expelled for this!"

"Really, it's not that bad" he said, squeaking a little as his sore knee buckled a bit under his weight.

"You have to stop letting people push you around! Grow a spine already!"

His arm went limp and he stopped trying to resist me.

I smacked my lips together. "…I'm making us a nice dinner tonight and I'll take a few days off college to stay with you"

"But-"

"No buts!"

I was cut off as I ran into someone.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't see-" I tried to apologize to the man in front of me.

He covered my mouth with his hand and dragged me through a secluded alleyway. My eyes darted back. The other one had Ryou in a chokehold and forced him on his knees next to me.

There was no one around. Even if I screamed, I don't think they could do anything in time.

"What do you-" he pulled out a switchblade and brought it to my face. My heart stopped in my throat.

"Shinami, please, let her go" I heard Ryou's voice from the side. He wasn't struggling, just pleading with him.

"I have a lot of explanations to give because of you, Bakura" he growled.

"Do you have any idea how many problems you just caused us, idiot?!" the one holding him screamed in his ear.

Ryou closed his eyes tightly and his knees trembled. He began swallowing air.

"We had a _deal_ , Bakura" he continued.

"I'm sorry I let it out. Shinami, Tatsuya…I'm really sorry. I…understand the consequences"

"No, I don't think you do." Shinami calmly intervened as he ran the blade up and down my skin.

"Do you know how expensive tuition is for my family? Do you think I can afford to get kicked out? Not all of us have a museum director for a father you stuck up brat!" Tatsuya continued, twisting my brother's wrist in a painful way.

Tears.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want your apologies! Apologies don't solve shit!"

"I'm sorry."

"You agreed to this yourself!"

"I'm sorry"

"How can I look my pop in the eye and tell him about this? Tell me, you little fuck!"

Heartache.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…ImsorryImsorryIm-"

"Maybe you shouldn't have bullied an innocent person in the first place."

"..."

Everyone turned to stare at me.

My voice was harsh, but deep down I was very scared. I felt the knife slightly pierce my skin and a small trickle of blood ran downwards from my cheekbone. I tensed a little as the bully calmed down enough to stop himself from digging any deeper.

"You be quiet, bitch" he growled at me, eyes dark with malice.

My voice caught in my throat. I swallowed a painful gulp through the blade's pressure.

"Make me" I whispered.

"Don't try me! I'm not gonna say it again!"

"You're nothing but a coward! A coward who picks only on those who can't stand up to you! And that's why you're going to get expelled for-"

"I said SHUT UP!" he screamed as he sliced up my shoulder. It stung, but I was too shocked to react. For a brief second, I didn't register what just happened. I didn't feel any pain, any emotion, everything seemed to have happened in a vacuum. Then my mind started working again and I felt my arm get hot from all the blood that gushed out of the open wound.

Ryou froze like a deer caught in headlights. His teeth gritted together and he was breathing hard. I didn't know what the expression across his face was trying to be, but he seemed to be having a panic attack. He let out a hoarse scream and threw his face against the pavement. He did it again and again, as if something was scratching at him from the inside.

He stayed like that for a few long moments as everyone fell silent, not understanding what he was doing.

Eventually, he raised his dirty bruised face to look at us, tears still gushing out like crazy.

"Do whatever you want to me…whatever you have to….I won't tell anyone. Just let her go" he said with great determination in his eyes, even as his voice trembled.

The two bullies eyed each other, thinking it over. They laughed at him in unison and the one holding me grabbed my hair to twist my head around like a puppet.

I moved my lips, but my voice was gone.

 _Run._

"You think we can just let a witness go?"

„I'm very sorry for all of this. She won't be any more trouble, I promise"

 _I said run._

„It's too late to turn back now, you know."

„...I'm the one causing you all this trouble, aren't I? Then punish me."

„RYOU JUST RUN!" I screamed as loudly as I could.

...

 _Why._

Voices checking up on us. Someone heard my scream. How long did I scream for?

 _Why did you._

It was an empty scream, like a siren.

 _A doctor, get a doctor, quick!_

Bleeding, his stomach was bleeding hard. They left the knife in as they ran away.

 _Why did you get in front of me little brother._

I've never seen so much blood.

 _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

Pulse check, pressure on the wound, the knife acting as a mild sealant, buying us time.

 _Stay with me, please._

He passed out, his eyes still cracked open and staring at me.

 _Please._

 _„_ _You're dead, Bakura, you hear me? Both of you, next time we meet, it's over for good!"_

* * *

„Sis..."

His voice was so faint I could barely hear it. I rubbed the back of his hand as I forced a reassuring smile.

„Are...you ok sis? How's your wound?"

„Stop putting others before yourself, Ryou." I said bitterly, moving a strand of messy hair away out of his tired eyes. The setting sun covered the entire ward in a dark hue, but even so he was as pale as a ghost.

„...I'm sorry"

I chuckled as I lowered my forehead to touch his, framing his face with my hands.

„Why do you always appologize"

He coughed as air caught in his throat from his lying position.

„Because...that's all my heart will let me do."


	3. When I met you

„Hello. My name is Bakura Ryou. It's a pleasure to meet you. Even though it's late in the school year, I hope I can contribute positively to everyone's experience."

A deep bow.

„Told you he was cute!" one of the girls turned around in her seat to brag to her friends. They started whispering among themselves and giggling. They were already starting a fanclub for him.

Several guys narrowed their eyes at him.

„Yo, isn't that a Kamigari High uniform? What're you doing at a place like this? Flunked out like the rest of'em?"

The blonde guy picked his nose the entire time he said that.

„My god, Jounouchi, you are so insensitive!" one girl berated him from the next row.

„Oh, I'M insensitive for calling out these hot shots who show up out of nowhere from top rated academies and use their „transfer student" status to act like they're better than us? Teach me about your amazing school that rejected you, my prince!" he rambled on to himself.

Ryou's fist balled tighter around his briefcase.

„Ignore him, Bakura! He's just a bitter nobody!" the same girl tried to defuse the situation. She turned back towards the guy „See, it's because of people like you that Domino High has such a bad reputation!"

He scoffed, sticking a pencil between his teeth and visibly rolling his eyes at her.

„Hmm, well, considering your presence came on such short notice, I'm afraid we only have one place left" the teacher stated, looking around the classroom. „I hope it won't be such a bother to you, but please sit down next to Jounouchi"

Deep glare.

Ryou moved at a snail's pace, trying his best to delay the inevitable. He slid down in his seat stiffly and opened his notebook, trying his best to hold his pen from shaking.

A paper ball hit his head from behind. He glanced ever so slightly towards the source.

„Psst! Bakura! Don't get worked up! Jounouchi's kind of a weirdo sometimes!" the guy grinned at him, giving him a reassuring thumbs up.

„Is that why you're always together, Honda?" the girl from before gave him a sly smile.

„Hey hey! He's been there for me since grade school, it's not like I'm gonna abandon him now, Anzu!"

They continued to bicker until a tall guy in a prestigious white uniform aggressively slammed his book shut, reducing them to silence.

„You're bothering me." he growled loudly.

„Mr. Kaiba, I understand how you feel, but please don't interrupt the class" the teacher turned around upon hearing him.

„Don't worry, I won't." the guy stated flatly, got up from his seat and left the classroom for the remainder of the school day. Nobody even tried to stop him.

 _This place..._

* * *

 _„_ _I'm sorry..."_

 _„_ _We'll talk about this once we get home. I can't deal with you right now"_

 _He spun the toy car around with his thumbs. Harsh air was filling his lungs, cheeks getting wet. The front seat was so tall, it covered her completely. It was like staring at a wall._

 _„_ _I'm sorry mama...I really am"_

 _„_ _Stop saying that."_

 _Green light. She stepped on the accelerator angrily._

 _„_ _I didn't mean to upset you mama. I'll...make up for it, I promise."_

 _„_ _I said stop it."_

 _He looked down at his hands. Vehicles zoomed by on either side, their headlights looking like glowing tiger eyes in the night as they passed by._

 _„_ _I'm sorry I'm a disappointment"._

 _His voice was faltering._

 _Yellow light._

 _The car sped up. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. Her eyes glanced at him through the rearview mirror._

 _„_ _What's wrong with you. What did I do to deserve something like this? I accepted you into my life, I gave you everything a child could ever ask for, I even comforted you and tried my best to raise you as a boy should be. Why are you so weak? Why do you cry at everything?! Tell me! Tell me where I went wrong with you!" her voice grew louder and louder as she went on._

 _He covered his ears in fear as his sobbing became a fit of uncontrollable wailing. His heart ached, but his face didn't show it. He looked like a puppet, completely devoid of life. Nothing but empty tears._

 _„_ _I love you mama"_

 _It came out automatically._

 _Many, many times a day he said the same thing. So many times, she didn't believe him anymore._

 _Red light._

 _She was fed up. She turned her head to look him dead in the eyes._

 _„_ _I told you to stop calling me mama! You are NOT my son and never will be!"_

 _Abrupt swerve._

 _The tiger's eyes shined as it pounced on them. The largest tiger he'd ever seen, the blazing horn doing nothing to help their situation. The little boy froze, clutching the seat belt tightly as the lights got blindingly close. He couldn't see anything anymore. It all fell into an eerie silence._

 _He disappeared deep inside his heart. An infinite void surrounded him. A void that was somehow familiar to him. Death was familiar to him._

 _Suddenly, a bubble raised towards the surface. An emotion, a thought, stronger than fear, stronger than sadness. What was it?_

 _It felt so good, but also terrible at the same time. Like scratching an itch raw. Like staining a perfectly white sheet with a single drop of ink. Something that shouldn't have been, but at the same time, was inevitable._

 _Various blurry shapes danced behind his eyes, faster and faster, fueling him._

 _He clawed his way out of the wreckage._

 _This feeling...he needed it. He wanted it._

 _His vision returned to him._

 _„_ _Mama..."_

 _The feeling dissipated in an instant and was replaced by tears again._

* * *

He was the first to return to class.

His hunch was right. The short boy sat in the back by the window, completely absent, his hands tinkering with something.

He knew the boy had to be here if he skipped gym class. One student missing from the roll call. One student that was there the class before. From what he overheard, he always skipped gym class, and he didn't see him around the schoolyard either.

He doubted the boy would even be in public, since the teacher might catch him and punish him for being absent.

The gym teacher had a nasty and highly intimidating personality, like a drill sargent. The first thing he did upon seeing Ryou was lay down the rules of his class. He was to obey or risk the consequences. The teacher berated him on everything, from his meek posture to his inappropriately long hair. Ryou dreaded the idea of having to shave it all off before Friday but he also didn't want to incur the teacher's wrath.

First day was all about observation, noticing the pecking order and ways of this new school. A few hours in, he concluded that the rumors were true. Domino High was a cesspool of bullies, lowlifes and general disinterest from both the students and the teachers.

Everyone did as they pleased and as long as there were no official complaints to higher authorities, common courtesy was nonexistent. Most teachers feared the students more than the opposite, so they never interfered or corrected their behaviors. Therefore it was impervious for teachers who cared about their field to be ruthless.

While Shinami and Tatsuya were indeed terrible people, they kept their actions a secret for fear of expulsion, and most other students at Kamigari High were well behaved, if a little dull.

Here, it was a free for all.

Ryou noted multiple gangs of bullies each operating on their own turfs and having a strict hierarchy within the school grounds. All of them people who's future guaranteed a long stay in Juvenal Hall and a promotion to prison later on.

It took Ryou two days before he had to confront the bullies at his previous school. At Domino High, it was about 30 seconds.

It was probably better as a guy to enter one of these gangs than to become everyone's punching bag.

The two from before, Jounouchi and Honda, glanced around the track field. They were searching for him, the missing student. From their attitude, they had a deep seated bully-victim relationship. Therefore, he didn't blame him for ditching.

Ryou was glad he had a medical pass for anything involving physical exercises, at least until his stitches healed. He sat on the side benches, waiting for the hour to go by.

Therefore, he could afford to leave a little early.

He wasn't too worried about himself. Even though he too was weak and had features so delicate they invited fists as meat tenderizers, he knew he wasn't the worst off.

The lowest on the totem pole stood out like angler fish lanterns in the abyssal darkness: the tiny nerd who annoyed everyone with his american comic book obsessions, the quiet librarian girl who never spoke, the pretty girl with a terrible self-esteem problem and also this boy. The one with unique hair and large innocent eyes who spent every class playing games by himself. All kinds of games, just enough to distract himself from everyday life.

What was the name on the roll call?

„Hi...Muto..."

 _Muto what?_

It took the boy a few moments before he snapped back to reality and quickly hid the items in his hand under his desk. He looked flustered, as if he got caught with something illegal.

What were the golden blocks he was concentrated on? Some sort of puzzle? It looked very pretty and valuable.

„Umm, hi, can I help you..." the boy stammered, trying to remember the unfamiliar name.

„Bakura. Bakura Ryou"

„Ah right, you said that earlier" he added and turned to look at the window. „You can call me Yugi. Everyone does anyway."

Really? Was everyone looking down on him this hard that they couldn't even respect his name?

 _The last person in the food chain._

But still... _.Yugi_...what a fitting name.

A long bout of silence stepped in. Yugi clearly didn't want him there.

He slowly started walking towards his seat at the other end of the room.

„I... think it's amazing that you're good at so many games. The only thing I ever got into was „Monster World"...it's the only thing I'm proud to have worked on" he stated truthfully as he sat down.

...

„Worked on? In what way?"

Ryou looked up from his desk, startled.

He had crept up on him so quickly.

Yugi's face sported a huge grin and his eyes sparkled with excitement. His mood seemed to have shifted completely. From his sitting position, he was the one looking up at his classmate who was dominating the conversation right now.

The totem pole...

„Yes... well, since it's a rather small game, there aren't many „Monster World" sets out there and only a handful of figurines, so I make my own out of plaster and clay..."

„Waaaa! You're that talented?" Yugi beamed like a child on Christmas. „Say, say, tell me more! I want to play this game too!"

 _Smile._

The school day passed by like a breeze, as did the rest of the week.


	4. What I found in you

„Coming! Coming!" I yelled at the doorbell as I put my slippers on. Summer break felt so cathartic, getting to spend some time with my baby brother, but it also came with the challenge of caring for the house again. I tried to reach for the door handle with my free hand, pushing the sheets out of my face to see it.

Since our breaks weren't aligned, I had one extra week where I spent most of the day at home all alone. So I took it upon myself to do all the things I could to make Ryou comfortable and help him out with his day to day life.

He started coming home pretty late. I was worried, did he get wrapped up in something bad behind my back?

Today he came on time. I wasn't even ready for him.

By the time I reached the knob, the keys were already turning in the hole.

Ryou opened wide and beckoned his guest in.

 _A guest?_

A messy haired boy peeked from behind him and waved at me.

„Hello, miss Bakura. My name is Muto Yugi. It's a pleasure to meet you" he smiled.

So this was Yugi.

„We're off to play a „Monster World" campaign, big sis" Ryou said, taking off his shoes as quickly as possible and handing Yugi the smallest pair of slippers we had. They both dropped their bags on the floor and all but ran towards the game room.

* * *

„Woah, this figurine looks just like me!" Yugi squealed in delight.

„I didn't know what kind of character you'd like, so I went ahead and made a short sword warrior-type for you"

„Ah, can he be a sorcerer too?"

„Sure, he can dual class" Ryou accepted, looking at his creature sheet.

I smiled, feeling lost, as I brought the lemonade in the room. It was like they were talking in a foreign language.

Truly, 'boy' was the best description for Yugi. If he wasn't wearing the uniform, I would've taken him for a grade schooler. His looks and personality were so immature...no wonder Ryou took to him. They were so alike.

They didn't even notice me as they placed their pawns on the mahogany table and grabbed the die.

* * *

„Hey, Bakura, want to see something special? It's getting late so I'll be going home after this" Yugi said, placing his figurine on the back shelf. Getting Level 20 was a good place to end the first day. „But you gotta keep it a secret, ok?"

Ryou looked up from the manual.

Was he talking about...

„S-sure..."

Yugi grabbed his backpack from the hallway and pulled out a golden box from it. It looked like an authentic antique. How did Yugi obtain this?

He carefully placed the box on the table and beckoned Ryou closer, then lifted the lid.

This was the thing Yugi was working on that day...probably every day. A couple of sparkling pieces formed the corner of a pyramid. They were all different shapes, looking like they couldn't possibly fit together, and yet...

Ryou felt compelled to touch it. A chill ran down his spine and he stopped himself.

„My grandpa gave this to me almost 8 years ago. I've been trying to solve it ever since, but I guess I'm not as good at it as I thought" Yugi smiled, saddened.

„What is it?" Ryou eventually found his voice to ask.

„Hmm, a necklace I guess. See, this piece here has a hole in it, perfect for a string!"

„You want to wear it?"

„Sure do. But most of all, I want to solve it. I guess, THIS is the thing that I'M most proud of. I mean, no matter how hard I try to improve my grades, I'll never rise above Domino High, but this I can have forever"

He raised the box in the air letting it shine in the rooms yellow light.

Ryou smiled.

„-and" he continued „I want it to grant me my wish"

„Your wish?"

„Yeah, see, here!" Yugi ran his finger over the golden symbols adorning the side of the box „...it says that it'll bless its owner with magical powers. Meaning, my wish will come true!"

„It really says that?". Those symbols looked like ancient egyptian glyphs to him.

„Well, my grandpa said so anyway. He used to be a treasure hunter so he knows his stuff. But also...I can feel it...the power within this puzzle...see?" Yugi said as he placed a piece in Ryou's palm.

It stung, like a jellyfish tentacle, telling him to drop it. This thing...was sentient?

Ryou panicked a little and accidentally threw it on the floor.

„Ah, my puzzle!" Yugi stretched over in his seat to try to grab it, but his other hand slipped off the polished table.

Ryou grabbed his arm to try to prevent his fall and ended up tumbling on top of him.

Yugi squirmed, trying to get the other boy off of him before he got his windpipe crushed.

An intense emotion spread between them.

 _„_ _Is there really no girl you like, Ryou? You have so many of them fighting over you."_

 _„_ _No, I'm just not interested in them..."_

 _„_ _Ah, I see...well, I should've known."_

 _„_ _N-no! Sis! It's not like that! I'm not into guys either...I just, don't fell anything for anyone. I don't fell anything at all..."_

It washed over him like an ocean wave.

He had never been this close to Yugi before, so close it was embarrassing. Their chests touched, feeling each others' racing heartbeat. It hit him so hard, he couldn't understand it. This emotion...this wonderful, terrible emotion..the same one he felt 5 years ago, the same one he couldn't identify.

He wanted to keep it there in his heart.

He wanted to stay like this forever, stay as long as needed to memorize this emotion and make it a part of him.

Why hadn't he felt this before? Why was this missing from his soul?

He heard Yugi struggle for air and he lifted the boy off the floor in a sitting position while holding him in a fierce embrace. So fierce, it was like he was trying to melt into him.

Yugi was shuddering as well...he felt the same.

The more he held onto him, the stronger the emotion became.

„B-Bakura...please" his voice came out rough.

This emotion...it was all so...

„Please.."

So..

„Please let go!" His hands grabbed at Ryou's backshirt, trying to pull him off.

 _Painful._

Like stabbing. Repeated stabbing into his heart, the stinging sensation spreading through his veins and overwhelming his entire being all the way to his fingertips.

Their bodies were like a pair of magnets, repelling each other. The more his body wanted to get away, the stronger the hug became.

Uncontrollable shaking.

„Bakura..."

Nails dug into his skin, struggling, trying to bring enough pain to his captor to get him to respond.

Ryou desperately wanted to claim this feeling as his own.

„It hurts, Bakura! LET ME GO!" Yugi finally raised his voice and forced himself out of his arms, sliding backwards on the floor in order to create a good distance between themselves.

It was like waking up from a hazy dream. He didn't quite register the world around him and he felt lightheaded. He looked down at his friend, who was glaring at him intensely. What was that expression on his face...he'd seen it before many times...

„I..really didn't like it, Bakura...why did you do it?"

This emotion...he could see it in Yugi's eyes. He had felt it too, he was sure of it.

„I don't want to feel like this, why did you force me? You're my friend...aren't you?" Yugi's voice cracked. He was scared.

„Yugi...what is this?" Ryou asked, his eyes staring through him, completely unfocused.

 _Take me back to that place...I need to understand...I need to know why I can't feel it on my own._

Yugi stared at him, his eyes wide with fear. Like he was dealing with an inhuman creature.

„What do you mean? You felt it too, didn't you?"

„What _did_ I feel? I can't...my mind can't decipher it"

„It was anger, Bakura. I felt angry...and hateful"

 _Anger._

 _This incredible feeling was anger?_

He had heard about it from others.

His eyes could read it sometimes on other people's faces and gestures, but he couldn't understand it. He didn't know how it felt. He had tried to imitate it before, but he always ended up overwhelmed by sadness instead.

„I don't want to hate you, Bakura. I really want to have a friend to play games with. That's why, I don't want to wind up in this situation again, where I have to push you away" Yugi was close to tears. He meant all of it.

He'd heard from others that anger makes you stronger. It lets you do things you normally can't do.

 _Anger... probably would've solved so many of his problems._

He fell deep in thought, staring at his quivering hands as Yugi quietly packed up his things and left.


	5. Why you're special

He started coming home early again. He worked on his models in his game room all evening and went to bed by 10, like always.

My little brother was the nicest person I knew. Ever since I first saw him, I thought he had the kindest eyes. His warm smile and gentle demeanor brought him many female admirers. He never dared to say what bothered him and he always put other people's happiness before his own. That's why he ended up heartbroken again.

"Did something happen between you and Yugi?" I asked him after a while.

„No, it's fine..." he sighed, absently digging his fork into the omelette.

There it was.

* * *

„Sis..don't..."

His pleading fell on deaf ears.

„Ah, miss Bakura...I didn't expect to see you here..." Yugi glanced up at her nervously.

„Tell me everything"

I placed a hand on the window behind him as the boy instinctively tried to shield himself with his backpack.

All the students across the hallway turned to stare at us. Fights on Domino school grounds were so common they became spectacles.

„A-about what?"

„Why are you mad at my brother?"

„Huh?"

„Really, sis, it's fine"

„Ryou looks up to you. He's never been this close to anyone before. Find it in your heart to forgive him"

Ryou's face was beet red.

„But...I'm not mad at him..."

„Then why aren't you spending time with him anymore?"

„I tried to, but he's always very busy..."

I smacked my lips shut and turned my head sharply towards Ryou as he chuckled nervously.

„ _Excuse us_ " I stated calmly, my voice dripping with frustration as I dragged my panicking brother to a more secluded corner to talk in private.

* * *

"Ready to go?" he said clutching the handles of his backpack.

"Yugi…why are you still here? It's getting late"

Even though the sun was already setting and the lights were off in the hallways, he had waited for him.

"I thought maybe we could walk home together." He smiled warmly.

"What about Anzu? Weren't you going to go with her?"

"M-yea, but she left early today so…I'm all by myself. What do you say?"

Ryou felt a tinge of pride overcome him.

Yugi really fancied Anzu. She seemed a bit strict and bossy sometimes, but she had a soft spot for him as well. He always blushed when she talked to him, even though they had lived in the same neighborhood their entire lives.

She was cute, but nothing out of the ordinary. There were at least a couple of other girls in their class that were objectively better looking.

No, what made her so dear to Yugi was that she was the only one who listened. Even though she was clearly disinterested in most of the games he played, she laughed at all his jokes and always asked him details on his hobbies.

Anzu was the first to learn Yugi's secret. Ryou was the second.

To actually passup on a chance to spend time with her, it made him feel special.

"S-sure…"

* * *

"I'm sorry I upset you that night, Yugi" he said truthfully.

He felt like breaking the ice between them. They had been silent for a long while now. They avoided eye contact as they passed the corner store.

"No, really, I'm not upset. You didn't have to avoid me, you know" Yugi shook his head.

"I didn't want to bother you"

"...I thought I was the one bothering _you_ "

They chuckled in unison at this. The atmosphere got considerably less tense.

"How's your puzzle coming along?"

"Funny thing, after that incident, it started coming together a lot faster than before. Maybe I'm concentrating more, I'm not sure. But at this rate, I might be done by next month"

"That's wonderful, Yugi. I'm happy to hear that"

"Yea, me too"

…

Silence again.

Yugi's house was a long way from here. It would take a long time to go back if he actually planned to walk Ryou all the way to his apartment. The fact that they lived in opposite sides of the city meant that there was no reason for them to go home together. And yet, here they were.

"Your sister scared me a little today...I didn't expect her to show up at school like that. She seemed really mad too…"

"I'm sorry...please don't mind her. If it makes you feel any better, she gave me a real earful as well before leaving. She's actually a good person once you get to know her"

Unless you crossed her, that is.

"Must be nice, having a sister."

"Mmm…it's more like…she's always been there. And ever since mom died, it's only been her. I really can't imagine my life without her….and...that's why…."

He trailed off, his voice faltering. He almost started crying again.

"I see...Jounouchi and Honda have sisters too. I'm the only single child I know. I'm a little jealous, it's like I'm being left out..."

 _Those two..._

"Oh, I didn't know you three were this close, Yugi. It seems to me like they're a little…mean to you"

Understatement.

"N-no, we're friends…" he said, glancing to his side nervously as if they'd jump him with rocks from behind the corner.

 _Friends huh._

"Ah, I didn't realize. To me, it looked kinda..."

 _Familiar._

"Yea, we're really good friends. You know, that's just how we guys show affection, with a little roughhousing-" he chuckled nervously, rubbing his freshly bruised forearm "-that's just how you know you're close to each other…ah but you don't have to do that too, I like our relationship just the way it is!"

He was trying so hard.

 _Kamina._

"No, really…they're…my friends. So is Taro….Ayama...and Kaiba too, even if he acts cold and distant sometimes. I've so many friends actually…" he stared into space, smiling bitterly and clutching his backpack tighter.

Yugi had a lot of imaginary friends. Not imaginary, just _friends_.

He felt bad for him. Ryou could have all the friends he wanted if he only tried, but Yugi…

"Y-yea. I just remembered, Taro told me during gym class that he had a good opinion of you…" Ryou returned a reassuring smile.

"Really? He really said that?"

Yugi was actually surprised.

"Yup. I'm glad to hear you have so many friends. That means that even if I'm not by your side anymore-"

"-NO NO! I, I really want you to stay! No matter what!" he caught himself "-I mean, I feel like our friendship is a little different than with everyone else…I feel like I can tell you things I couldn't tell anyone else..."

He laughed at himself, as if he remembered something silly.

They were getting close to their destination. Instinctual right turn, the alleyway that lead to the apartment building to their left. It was the second time Yugi came here, the second time they took an unnecessarily long detour. He never questioned it and just followed along. Around the neighborhood, past the convenience store, through the park and back again on the other side. Lit, populated areas. Safe areas.

He beckoned Ryou to stop in front of the park and seated himself on top of the small stone wall. Ryou sat beside him, looking a little confused.

"Something wrong, Yugi?"

If he needed a shoulder to cry on, Ryou was ready for it.

"N-no, I just remembered a funny story and...I wanted to know your opinion about it"

Funny?

"Well, it's not actually funny, but it's something I've been thinking about for a very long time and I've never told anyone about it…not even Anzu"

Ryou was very curious now.

"You can tell me anything, Yugi."

He flashed the most reassuring smile he could manage.

Yugi smiled back. Then his face turned serious.

"You…ever feel like you shouldn't have existed?"

Ryou's breath stopped.

"I know it doesn't really make sense, but..." he swallowed, encouraging himself to let it out "…I wasn't born right"

"Yugi..."

 _Don't tell me…_

"Even though I was fine throughout the pregnancy, I didn't cry or move at all after being born. The doctors thought I was stillborn at first. But I wasn't dead! Just not alive either. Even though mom did nothing wrong the whole 9 months, I was in a coma. Mom was devastated. She stayed by my side for hours, cuddling me…and after a while, I woke up and was perfectly fine"

 _Yugi…how…_

"But see, this is the weird part. Mom said I didn't look like this when I was born. I had starkly different hair and eyes….even my face looked different. She remembers I resembled her quite a bit. But when I woke up, I started changing… and in a few hours I had changed completely. Mom was scared to witness it. Dad was away with work so when he first saw me when we got home from the maternity ward, he thought mom had cheated on him."

Ryou just stared at him silently the entire time, eyes as wide as saucers.

"It's a good thing I take after my grandpa; otherwise dad probably wouldn't have believed her. She finally found the heart to tell me this story when I was in middle school. She thought it might upset me so she avoided the subject. Grandpa said he never cared about my looks in the first place and mom's just happy that I'm alive but recently I've been thinking...maybe it explains why I'm so abnormal?"

 _How in the world…_

"…So I wanted to know, what do you think, Bakura?"

Ryou went so pale he was almost translucent. Yugi pulled back a little and flayed his arms in front of himself defensively.

"Ah! Please don't look at me like that! I'm really telling the truth!"

He slowly lifted his trembling hands to grab Yugi's own so tight his knuckles turned. His hands never stopped shaking the entire time and he bit hard on his lower lip as he held back his tears.

"No…I don't… think you're abnormal at all….Y-Yugi." he stammered, trying his best to sound coherent.


	6. When I failed you

Yugi wasn't just trying to make him feel better.

Anzu really had been leaving early every day for the past two weeks or so.

The reason he had chosen Domino High to move to was their lax take on school schedules and paperwork requirement for enrolling after the start of the school semester, but it wasn't without consequences.

People were often tardy or skipped school entirely.

Most of the people he knew by name took advantage of it on a regular basis: Jounouchi was always late, Yugi avoided gym like the plague, Hanasaki kept sneaking out to buy more Zombire merchandise even during class, Anzu started leaving before the end of the last class each day and Kaiba only showed up when he felt like it.

His hunch was confirmed: Kaiba was indeed THE Kaiba Seto, heir and majority shareholder of the technological juggernaut Kaiba Corp. Not only that, but despite having entered Domino High as a transfer student, he had never attended public schools before.

What was a person like him doing in a place like this?

It was probably a social experiment or an attempt at mingling with common people. That explained why Ryou couldn't recognize the uniform he wore. It was tailor made to suit his tastes and social status.

But he wasn't the only one taking advantage of this school. Because of its status, people that transferred into Domino High used it as a crutch or a temporary refuge. They didn't see it as a source of education; they saw it as an easy way to get a diploma. As such, they fancied themselves as superiors overseeing the refuse of society that entered through a regular exam and had no alternatives.

He was starting to understand where Jounouchi was coming from.

"Yo! Short stuff!"

The taunt snapped him out of his thoughts. It was already late afternoon…classes ended almost half an hour ago. It was supposed to be just him and Yugi, as always, wasting time on their respective hobbies.

Why did HE stay behind?

Yugi looked up from his puzzle, frightened. He was so absorbed in his actions he had left his belongings out in the open.

"What 'ya got there?" he smirked, realizing he had caught him red handed.

Yugi quickly tried to stuff the box in his backpack but a hand caught his wrist from behind and shook everything on the floor.

"Looks pretty valuable, I'd say" Honda smiled back, letting him go so as to provoke him to pick them up. Which he proceeded to do as his two classmates laughed at his discomfort. Piece by piece, like a farm ant, carefully placing all of them back in his box.

 _Friends._

Jounouchi had always been problematic. But today, he was in a particularly bad mood. He came to school impressively late even by his standards, roughed up and bruised all over, with the usually punctual Honda sporting a similar look in tow.

Even bullies had their bullies.

 _"You're dead, Bakura! You hear me?!"_

Ryou's legs melted into the floor.

 _Can't get up from the desk._

Shaking.

 _I have to help him…_

"Hey, look, you forgot one" Jounouchi said, picking up the last shape with the eye model in the middle.

"P-please, give it back!" Yugi stammered, trying his best to sound calm.

"Yep, sure looks valuable alright, Honda. Wouldn't want to lose it, now would we. Safe keepings are only 10.000 Yen." He gestured for Yugi to hand over the money.

"I... don't have that kind of money" Yugi squeaked, going closer to try to pick up the item from him.

"Fair enough, I suppose. Game shops aren't very profitable, are they?"

Even though he was smiling, his expression and tone were heavy, as if he wasn't pleased about it.

"Ya know, I HATE liars, Yugi"

The boy gulped. He had never told him about his grandpa's shop. They barely ever spoke to each other.

"The shop isn't doing so well...we've had to tighten our budget lately…"

That one hadn't been a lie.

"Oh come on, I'm being considerate here. I'm only asking you for 10.000 and I'll scrape together the rest myself. I'll pay you back at some point!"

He sounded desperate.

"I honestly can't help you. I can't possibly ask my grandpa to hand over all his earnings to you…"

Exhale. Face visibly relaxing. Smirk reappearing on his lips.

"Alright, then, forget it. I'll just give it back to 'ya and call it even, ok?" Jounouchi said, unclenching his fist to show him the object still in his hand.

Just as Yugi reached for it, he lifted it above his head.

"Go on, take it" Jounouchi chuckled calmly.

Yugi stretched upwards as far as he could and Jounouchi did the same. The gap was too wide.

"Try jumping" Honda suggested, giggling from the side.

And he did. He jumped, once, twice, three times. Jounouchi toyed with him like a dog.

So cruel.

"You're really bad at this, aint'cha half-pint?" he laughed.

"Let's help him up" Honda offered as he kicked Yugi in the gut hard enough to lift him off the ground.

"Nice try, but still not high enough. Let's keep practicing!" Jounouchi joined in on the action. "After all, you've been missing out on exercise this past semester, you could use some training."

Kick, kick, kick, punch. Just a sack of potatoes.

Yugi took it, no complaints. No tears, no begging. All while still trying to get his puzzle back.

Ryou's arms froze in his lap, fingers clenched onto the fabric of his pants, pulling tightly. The desk was a prison.

 _Can't let go._

They kept going, hitting him even when he stopped trying to get up. They were unleashing their frustrations on him.

 _I have to…I can't let him…Not him.._

 _Can't move at all._

Heavy breathing.

His eyes stared in shock, the only part of him that still reacted to what was going on around him.

"Hey, you!"

He wasn't invisible though.

"What're you looking at, Bakura?" Honda seemed ticked off. "You haven't said a damn thing this entire time!"

They turned to him, leaving their prey in shambles on the floor.

"Why're you still here anyway, pretty boy? Go try on dresses with your girlfriends like you usually do! This here is man time!" Jounouchi dismissed him.

He wasn't afraid. He never feared bullies. And yet, his heart was racing.

 _Move._

He lowered his gaze towards the floor, avoiding their glares; his hair covered his face completely.

 _I'm sorry, Yugi…I…_

"Hey, Bakura!"

 _My body won't let me…_

"You're here cuz of this twerp, right? Well, then, stand up for him!"

 _"You're dead!"_

"I'm talking to you, Bakura!"

Choking. Panic.

"You're a lousy friend, ya know that?" Jounouchi berated him, scratching his head in frustration.

"Real friends aren't there just for the good times, they're also there for the bad ones, you know?" Honda gave his own piece as well.

 _I'm sorry._

His head froze as well. He had completely turned to stone. A bowing, eternally apologizing statue.

"Please, just…give it back" came the meek voice from the floor.

Jounouchi turned to the one pulling on the fabric of his pants.

"You again. We're done for today. Go home!" Jounouchi swatted at him like a buzzing fly. All his plans were for nothing. Yugi just wasn't cooperating the way he expected it.

They were wasting time now.

"I need…my puzzle" Yugi insisted.

He got up on his feet using two desks and wobbled towards him, arm stretched out.

"You're really annoying, you know that?"

"Jounouchi, leave him be. We're running late as it is." Honda pointed out, sounding concerned.

"M-my puzzle…"

"Fuck your puzzle!" Jounouchi lost his cool and chucked it out the open window as far as he could.

Yugi dragged himself to the window and looked on in shock as the piece landed in the middle of the school swimming pool and slowly sank to the bottom.

He grit his teeth and tried to hop over the windowsill. He had a chance to retrieve it now.

Jounouchi grabbed his coat and dragged him backwards.

"Woah, woah! You crazy or something?! This is the 3rd floor man, you can't just jump!"

"But...my puzzle..." his eyes were glazed over. It was like it was calling out to him.

"It's not worth dying over, you idiot!" Jounouchi yelled at him. "If you make your mom cry I'll never forgive you!" he growled, throwing the small teen back onto the floor to prevent him from going through with his idea.

"You don't understand. This is everything to me…" Yugi insisted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jounouchi's eyes flared with anger as he reared up his fist to strike him as hard as he could.

Just then, a slap.

The fist dropped by his side as his mind tried to process what happened. Honda reeled back as well.

"You two! What do you think you're doing?" Anzu placed her hands on her hips, staring them down. She was back.

"None of your business!" Jounouchi defied her.

"Of course it is!" she insisted, bopping him on the head with her surprisingly voluminous bag. He rubbed his sore temples and made a grimace.

Even though Anzu wasn't strong by any stretch of the imagination, she still managed to intimidate them.

She wasn't just Yugi's crush, she was also his protector.

The desk released its grip. Ryou's legs carried him away, slowly at first, then faster. Completely unnoticed and silent, out of the classroom and into the hallway, where he stopped.

He let all the air out of his lungs. No tears yet. Just pain.

He waited there for a long time. Actually, he noticed, he wasn't truly standing still. But he wasn't really advancing either. Like a toy low on batteries, he was just dragging himself along.

At a certain point, he saw the two bullies pass him by, completely ignoring him while grumbling to themselves. Their faces were pale, as if they had seen their lives flash before their eyes. Anzu had most certainly put them in their place.

Ryou watched them leave while still keeping up his snail pace.

"And as for you!" the voice grew louder as she stomped her way to him.

"How could you just sit there and watch?"

"…"

"What would've happened if I didn't come back for my uniform?"

"…"

"Honda was right! I thought you were Yugi's friend, but you're nothing but a coward!"

She stuck her index in his chest, blocking him in place. He couldn't stand to look her in the eye. His chest hurt so badly.

"Weak! Unreliable! Useless!"

 _True._

"Learn to stop being such a selfish snob. The world doesn't revolve around you!"

 _No…that…_

 _That was true as well._

She crossed her arms, waiting for a response. Any response.

But it never came.

He dragged on, his legs slightly faster than before. A limping oaf with an empty head and a heavy heart.

He walked past the hallway, past the intimidating Ushio who was standing by the school fence, past the intersection.

She watched him disappear from her sight, shook her head in frustration then went back to tend to her childhood friend.


	7. When I hit the bottom

He sat on the grass, hugging his knees and staring at his own reflection in the water. He couldn't see his face in this darkness, even with the lamp post nearby.

The park was so quiet he could hear his own thoughts as if they were coming out of a loudspeaker.

A flicker as a moth flew too close to the light. It dropped limply on the grass next to the others who committed the same mistake.

He sighed. This was probably as good a time as any.

He took off his shoes, coat and shirt and neatly folded them in a pile over his briefcase.

He unbuttoned his pants, then stopped himself. His sister was probably going to be mad he ruined his uniform, but he couldn't risk those finding him to witness him in such an embarrassing state. He would carry that shame with him forever.

The trees hid him from view, but not completely. His white hair contrasted strongly with his surroundings and his behavior was suspicious to say the least.

A jogger stopped in his tracks and paused his music player. Why was this kid stripping?

He walked to the edge of the shore. The lake was big and deep. Deep enough. He was a decent swimmer, so he had to remember if he started panicking not to struggle too much, or he might accidentally reach the surface.

"Don't tell me..." the stranger frowned, looking at him.

He took a deep breath and took the last step forward, dropping like a rock.

Bubbles raised from the water displacement, then nothing.

It was still a long way to the bottom.

"Are you kidding me?!" the man yelled, dropping his things and jumping in after him.

* * *

The doorbell rang multiple times.

The boiling of water in the kitchen made me miss the first couple of rings. By the time I got to the door, the person was already knocking.

"Coming! Coming!"

I opened the door to be greeted by my brother who sported a miserable and guilty look on his face. A towel was covering his head, wet hair dripping on the floor, and he was wearing a tracksuit I'd never seen before.

"Is this yours?" the neighbor lady asked me, hoisting him forcibly by the forearm.

I just stared at them in shock. She took that as a 'yes'.

"You're lucky my husband happened to jog by the lake at this hour, you know" she berated me, as if he was my property.

Ryou didn't lift his head to look at me the entire time.

"I'd be more careful with him if I were you" she insisted, handing me his uniform.

"The pants and underwear are in the dryer; I'll be back with them when they're done"

"Thank you..." I managed as I brought him inside and closed the door.

* * *

"Mind telling me what happened?" I said, trying to keep my calm, but my voice was faltering.

 _Ryou, of all people_ …

I never imagined he was this depressed. I never knew...

"Nothing…" he answered softly, trying to end the confrontation and head over to his room.

I grit my teeth.

"Why did you try to kill yourself?"

"Because...I don't want to be a burden anymore…"

"Stupid! You'd only make it worse if you died! How could you even think that?"

This time, I was the only one crying. I wrapped him in a deep hug, trying my best to show him I meant it. He was just tall enough for me to bury my dripping nose in his shoulder. I never realized how much he'd grown in the past couple of years. He wasn't a child anymore. And yet, I couldn't see him as anything other than my baby brother.

Ryou didn't hug me back. In fact, he was stiff as a board. Completely detached and composed, as if he wasn't affected at all.

"What were you thinking?" I insisted.

"I'm sorry" he said in a low voice. "I'm even terrible at something like this. To top it all off, I stained my school pants too. I really am the worst…"

I laughed bitterly at him.

"You have terrible priorities, little brother"

"I really let him down…I let everyone down"

Yugi again. Why did so many of his problems revolve around him?

"I don't know what to do. I don't know why I'm like this. I really want to be someone you can rely on..." he continued.

"Killing yourself won't help you reach that goal in any way" I laid the truth onto him.

He sighed. He was really lost on where to go from this point. He probably never planned on surviving in the first place so he'd end up facing this moment.

I tightened my grip.

"Please, just, promise me you'll never do something like this ever again. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

"…Alright."

He made it sound so simple.

I let go and tried my best to smile at him. My tears didn't dry, but at least I was letting him know I wasn't upset with him anymore.

"Let's have dinner. I'll play a game with you when we're done" I bargained with him.

* * *

"Did you guys hear what happened last night?" Mizuki beckoned the girls to come closer so she could talk to them in private.

They made a circle around her, curious as to what she was referring to.

"Oh, you mean Ushio? Yea, I passed him by in the schoolyard this morning. He was rolling around in the leaves, cackling to himself. Really weird. I didn't expect someone like him to lose his mind like that."

"You think someone he bullied got revenge on him?"

"How would that even happen anyway? I mean, he doesn't seem hurt, he just went crazy…"

"You know, I heard that you can curse someone if you tie a sash at midnight to that oak tree he's under. Then, if you chant the "Spring Bliss" poem backwards, you can affect your target's mind with psychotropic waves-"

"No, no, this is something actually important!" Mizuki butted in on her friends conspiracies. "My uncle was doing his daily jogging through Domino Park around 10 pm last night. And there, he saw Bakura..."

* * *

He had doubts about coming to school the next day. However, it wasn't his decision to make, it was mine. I walked him hand in hand like a kindergartner all the way to class. He was blushing the entire way as people stared at us, but I couldn't risk him doing anything crazy again.

I planned on pick him up from school afterwards as well.

My break was over, but I was lucky to have a college staff that understood my situation when I told them why I needed a few more days. I was just too worried about him. I needed to get him out of this emotional slump he was in.

I waved him off as we reached the front of the classroom and watched him drag his way inside.

* * *

This was a strange day indeed.

As soon as he entered the room, he witnessed the girls all ganging up on Anzu and berating her for some reason.

The moment he stepped in, heads snapped to stare at him, some mocking and some sympathetic, including…

 _Jounouchi._

He was already there, chatting with Yugi in what seemed like an amiable way. He had bruises and patches all over, even worse than the day before, but he seemed in a good mood. This was a rare sight for him, to be sure. Not only Jounouchi, but Honda too.

And Yugi...something was different about him. He seemed so relaxed and upbeat...

That thing hanging from his neck...could it be?

"Man, if I catch a cold it's all on you and that stupid pool of yours" Jounouchi joked, pulling back his snot.

"Your aim's just that good, pal" Honda interjected, snickering. They all had a laugh as Jounouchi sneezed a couple of times.

The door clicked as it closed behind him.

All subjects were instantly dropped.

"Bakura sweetie, are you alright?"

They didn't even give him time to unpack his briefcase before the girls swarming him with gifts and "get well soon" cards. He really disliked their company, but today he wanted them to go away even more.

"I'm fine..." was all he was willing to say as a couple of the more dramatic ones cried out in pity for him.

That was exactly the kind of scenario he wanted to avoid.

Everyone who witnessed what happened last night had spread the news like the plague.

"My poor sweet innocent little Bakura! Can't believe something like this would happen to you!" the short plump one snorted loudly, drawing focus to herself "-this is all YOUR fault!" she turned to point at Anzu, who already looked pretty guilty to begin with "-apologize to Bakura right now!"

"She doesn't have to. She did nothing wrong." he insisted.

"No, I did." Anzu disagreed bitterly, walking up to him. "I didn't think about your situation. I...learned about your reason for coming to Domino High this morning..."

They really knew everything about him, didn't they?

A couple of chuckles from some guys in the back. This was such a pathetic display.

He felt a shiver, wondering what other intimate things they talked about in his absence.

"...and I understand why you'd feel so hurt about what I said yesterday…I'm really sorry, Bakura". She bowed her head in sincere regret.

No, it didn't hurt because she scolded him.

 _It hurt because she was right._

"Hey, ya know, you really have no reason to humiliate her like that!"

Jounouchi, of all people.

"Because, it doesn't matter what people dish out. if you're so weak that you can't take it, it's all on you!" he lightly punched Ryou in the chest for emphasis.

"And hell, you know what?" he continued, wiping his nose with his sleeve. "Everyone makes mistakes"

He lowered his head to him.

 _Wha-?_

"Besides, it was all MY fault to begin with, I should be the one apologizing"

Jounouchi was many things, but he was definitely a man of honor.

"Yup, that's pretty much how it is" the voice by his side nodded.

"You're included too, Honda!" Jounouchi jumped at him and forcibly bent him in a bowing position in front of Ryou.

It doesn't make sense. What's with their sudden change in attitude?

What happened last night?

"Oh my _lord,_ who even cares?" a voice by the door interrupted the emotional breakthrough.

"Some pussy tries to off himself and now it's a national tragedy! Big freaking deal!" another guy interjected, waving his hands in the air mockingly.

"If he's that fragile, maybe he should do us all a favor and empty his seat for the next transfer student" a third voice agreed.

"Hey, don't you dare!" Jounouchi pointed at them. "We've all been through shit and you know it! How you choose to handle it is your responsibility, but laughing at someone else's problems is lower than low!"

"Just because you come from a broken home doesn't mean we all do" one of the three from before rebutted his argument.

Jounouchi rolled up his sleeve and threw his fist in the air.

"Yea, so what? Ya got a problem with that? Come over here and let's settle it then!"

"Not this again…" the girls whispered to each other as the atmosphere became tense once more.

Ryou looked down, visibly troubled. He didn't want to bring so much attention to his situation. He hadn't given it much thought as it went down, but he was really starting to regret his actions from the day before. He was causing so much infighting and discord among his peers.

A hand pulled him up from his seat.

Yugi gestured for him to come along and leave the quarreling people to sort it out among themselves.


	8. Who you became

_"My wish came true."_

That night, Yugi had solved the puzzle.

And ever since then, things started changing. Yugi too.

Sometimes, Yugi seemed off. Like he wasn't himself. Sometimes, when they spoke, Yugi looked at him like he was a complete stranger. But he always composed himself rapidly and carried on. Not only that, he had a chilling aura, like there was something else going on behind the mask.

He could see it in his eyes.

This confident, calm, bold Yugi before him. This Yugi wasn't the Yugi he knew.

But nobody else seemed to really notice. If anything, they seemed to like this new him.

So nobody ever asked any questions.

Worse yet, strange things also started happening around the same time.

Ushio was the first, but definitely not the last. One by one, the bullies of Domino High started being erased from the picture.

Every bully that picked on Yugi lost their mind and never recovered. It all got chalked up to coincidence the first few times it happened, but after a while, they started backing off for fear of their own safety. Nobody knew what really happened, but rumors of the oak tree curse got every bully in the school to act more cautiously.

By next month, Yugi had nothing to fear anymore.

Strangely enough, he never seemed to notice any of this.

Anything, except the things he actually cared about.

That he wasn't alone anymore.

Jounouchi, Honda, Anzu…they all became so close. They went everywhere together. And they had fun doing everything Yugi couldn't do by himself.

Ryou felt unneeded. They were nice to him too, but he was a complete third wheel to their group.

And especially to Yugi.

* * *

 _This time. This time it happened closer to dawn. He remembered enough to write down a rough summary. It was getting clearer the more he concentrated on it, forming a storyline. Hazy, fragmented, but topical._

 _He jotted down fervently. He had almost filled a notebook ever since he started keeping track of them these past few years, but most of it was worthless. Not even a full sentence worth of memory was left after he woke up. But not this time._

 _"Had another dream, Ryou?"_

 _He nodded, not breaking his concentration._

 _"What was it about?"_

 _Not like he could tell me. His dreams were always like that. Sometimes, they turned into nightmares and he didn't sleep well till dawn. I always let him take his time getting up when that happened._

 _"It was one of the bad ones"_

 _He sounded oddly pleased as he said it._

 _"I was being chased by someone. I ran into an alleyway, and then..." he trailed off, thinking. "I don't know. Maybe I'll find out tomorrow night"_

 _He was actually excited to know, like he was being given a movie, scene by scene. And he was the one tasked with mounting it all together._

* * *

"My wish came true"

"Hmm?"

Yugi turned to him on the bench as the basketball scraped off the floor, screeching as it jumped back in the air. It was loud, but that also made it intimate. Nobody was paying attention to them as a 3 pointer was scored in a spectacular fashion.

Even though he barely participated, Yugi had stopped skipping gym class.

He cradled his necklace in his hands as he smiled at Ryou.

"Isn't it amazing? I finally got what I've always wanted!"

He sounded so happy about it.

"When I was finishing it last month, it was all I could think about. And it listened to me, it guided me as I put the pieces together faster than ever before. The puzzle trusted me with its completion." he continued.

Ryou swallowed silently, listening on.

"And when I finished it, I made my wish…"

"…my wish" he blushed "…to finally have friends…" He whispered it so nobody else could hear.

Ryou sighed, feeling his heart tightening. He had suspected it for a while.

"And see, it came true!" he beamed as Jounouchi called for him to join the second round with them.

"I'm happy for you, Yugi. I really am." Ryou tried to return his enthusiasm, but deep down he felt his heart shrink.

Ryou gestured for him to go. Even if he wasn't cut out for sports, he could still enjoy playing the game.

"Ah, but you know-" Yugi said as he got up from the bench. His back was towards him, so he couldn't see his face, but his voice sounded earnest. "-I'm sure I could've gotten there on my own. The puzzle…just helped me along". He turned to show his confident grin, then ran down the stairs to the court.

* * *

 _Wishes come true._

Ryou wanted to believe that. He had so many things to wish for.

But he wondered if wishes could also go awry.

Over the next month, things kept escalating.

People from their own class started disappearing. Among them was Kaiba as well.

Last week, he stopped coming to class altogether. Nobody had seen him ever since.

At first, everyone assumed he was just avoiding school, but he seemed to have dropped off the public scene altogether. A very vocal and bombastic figure, one that loved to show off and would often buy airtime on Prime Time TV to promote his latest products, just…gone.

His estate refused to comment on any of this. It was quite the mystery, one that was strongly debated, both by reporters and by classmates.

And it was starting to become clear who was at the center of it all.

The more people started piecing it together, the more obvious it became.

It always lead back to Yugi.

Everyone that crossed him ended up missing or crazy.

The more paranoid people started blaming him directly. A quiet, reserved student that everyone picked on was getting revenge on them with terrible curses.

It fit so well with their assumptions.

One night, the oak tree in the yard was cut to pieces. Students said it was still burning the next morning, giving off a menacing aura as it did.

People were scared. But more than anyone, the one who was most frightened was Yugi.

He often seemed out of it. He didn't remember things he was told directly or events he took part in. Until now, he hadn't given it much thought.

But ever since Kaiba disappeared, he was forced to face the facts. Especially given the circumstances.

The days before that, Kaiba had been extremely hostile towards him.

He knew Kaiba was a major promoter and player of the "Duel Monsters" card game, but he didn't know how obsessed he was. He lived and breathed this one game, so much so that he wanted nobody else to be able to enjoy it. And it just so happen that Yugi had the one card he wanted. A card he wouldn't hand over.

It escalated quickly from there.

It wasn't just about the card, or the game they played to claim its ownership. It was about humiliation, and Kaiba tried his best to bury his foe.

Nobody knew what happened after that, but apparently, Kaiba lost.

And failure was unacceptable.

"Man, screw him! Serves him right." Jounouchi gestured through the air as he walked in.

"Jounouchi, even if you dislike him, it still doesn't make it ok to wish ill will upon him." Anzu insisted.

"Maybe he should retire for good and leave us alone. I'm glad he was put in his place! After everything he did to my pal, I would've gotten back at him tenfold!" he insisted, drawing attention to their conversation. Honda whispered something in his ear and they took it outside.

 _They knew._

And now everyone else did as well. Or at least, they had their suspicions and ideas. Yugi had a lot of explaining to do.

But still…

He couldn't have offed Kaiba. It just didn't seem possible, not Yugi.

After all this time, Ryou was certain he knew him well enough. The real Yugi. Not the rumors, hate, paranoia…the real person behind it all. He was confident it was all just a big misunderstanding.

* * *

"Bakura…am I…evil?"

What did he mean by it?

He was hiding in the corner of the room, hugging his knees on the floor and staring at the puzzle intently, like it would answer his question.

Ryou bent over, covering his frame. He offered a shield from the menacing glares, keeping attention away from him.

"Of course not."

"Then why am I hurting people?"

His eyes were glazed and saggy. He hadn't slept in a while.

"You're not, Yugi."

 _You can't give in to these people._

"Then why don't I remember NOT hurting them?"

Ryou didn't know if he was talking to him or his necklace. More and more, he seemed to act like it was a real person.

"Because you didn't do it."

He was stubborn, but he did it for Yugi's sake.

"I don't want to lose them…what am I supposed to do, Bakura? I don't want to lose my friends…"

 _Them._

It had never included him to begin with.

"You're not going to lose them, Yugi. I… _they_ trust you. They won't just leave you because of something like this."

"But what if I'm..." he trailed off and stopped. In the afternoon light, the puzzle glistened in all its splendor. It shined so brightly, it felt like it was trying to outdo the beam that was reflecting off of it. It truly was a unique masterpiece. He had every reason to be proud of it.

The air got so cold, Ryou's breath came out as a smoke trail. Yugi stopped talking altogether, like he got fed up halfway. He raised to his feet, brushed him aside and left without a word.

Ryou didn't see him for a whole week.

* * *

 _What did Yugi try to tell him that day?_

Things had changed again.

Like a cog, turning in a mechanism, changing position. Resetting everything.

It was getting cold outside. Autumn was creeping up on them.

It made the rainy day seem less ominous when he showed up.

Kaiba was back.

Not for long, but just long enough for people to see it was really him. He dodged all questions, he ignored all the teachers and the media asking him what happened. He unceremoniously handed the principal a couple of papers and left again, his chauffeur waiting for him with a limo down by the entrance.

That day, Kaiba quit school for good. Whatever it is was that he wanted from this place, be it that card or maybe something more, he either got it or gave up completely.

But before leaving, he looked for him.

 _Yugi._

They didn't cross paths.

They missed each other by less than an hour. It had to have been fate, Ryou thought.

Yugi came to school as if nothing had happened. He was cheery, light-hearted and at ease, as if he had solved all of his problems. And indeed, it seemed like that was the case.

The cog turned.

Things went back to normal. People stopped falling ill.

Yugi didn't have that menacing aura anymore, nor did he show amnesia episodes. Everyone forgave and forgot about him.

 _A reset._

But not completely. Something was definitely there. The way he looked, the way he talked, the way he acted. It was small, but it was noticeable. This other Yugi was still there. But he wasn't threatening anymore. He just _was_.

Life went on. Their small group was happy again.

Autumn had just started.


	9. What I want to wish for

"Happy birthday, Ryou!"

He smiled back, trying to act surprised that morning. As if I hadn't marked it in bright red on the calendar in the kitchen.

After school we had all the time to celebrate, especially since it took place on a Friday this year.

I brought in the homemade cake and lots of profiterole. Ended up being the only one who touched the cake and none of the profiteroles.

Though, to be fair, it was rather difficult to finish an entire cake with just two people.

"…"

He didn't tell me much about his school life anymore, but I'd noticed that he'd distanced himself from Yugi again. He seemed to actively avoid spending time with him.

 _"He has real friends now, I don't want to be a bother"_ he'd say if I asked him about it.

Typical Ryou.

I'm certain he never even told them it was his birthday today.

Even so, his bag was full of cards and gifts from all his adoring fans. Mostly girls, as per usual. He stuffed them, unopened and unread, in one of the desk drawers he had saved up just for this and joined me in the living room.

„You know, in America they call this _sweet 16_ " I smiled, waving the fork matter-of-factly as I took a bite of the cake.

„Wonder why they call it that" he rubbed his cream stained cheek as he rolled the idea in his mind.

Surely it wasn't the first time he heard about this. Girls his age loved to partake in western culture, especially things that gave them an excuse for lavish parties and gift giving like „Valentine's Day" or „School Prom".

„I can't say for sure, but from what I've heard, _16_ is supposed to be a magical number. It's a sort of coming of age time...before 18 that is".

To be honest, I really had no idea why 16 was so special.

He raised an eyebrow quizzically. He wasn't buying it in the least.

„I don't feel any different from yesterday" he shrugged.

Indeed, he hadn't changed much this past year. Besides growing a little taller, he didn't show any significant difference. He'd had the same looks, mannerisms and flaws ever since he was little. Same hobbies, same lifestyle. He was wasting his youth away in that room, playing games all by himself. Even with friends who shared his interests, he still preferred to be alone most of the time.

His life was a dull repetitive cycle.

So of course he didn't feel any different.

„Well, how about we celebrate your sweet 16 at the amusement park tomorrow?" I clasped my hands together as the idea struck me. If he didn't want to spend time with Yugi, maybe he would spend it with me. „I heard Kaibaland reopened on Monday! It's not too far from here, right? I could buy us a pair of tickets.."

He grimaced. He didn't seem too eager to go.

I had heard that Kaiba had been his classmate this past semester. Maybe that was one of the reasons he reacted like this?

I sighed. It was so difficult to break him out of his habits. He always only wanted the same things. He had a sweet tooth, but only for profiterole. He liked games, but only „Monster World". How do I get him to try new things if he's this stubborn?

„I'd rather we just spend some quality time at home, sis. I won't be seeing you for a while after Monday and I don't want to deal with the commotion and noise of an amusement park scenery..."

„Alright then, if this is what you want" I got up from my seat, took the plates to the kitchen and went to bring in the presents.

...

He loved the „Monster World" expansion kit I got him. Of course he did, he had been describing it to me in great detail for months. It was difficult to find and rather expensive, but his happy smile was worth it. If there was one quality nobody could deny about him, it was his ability to make others at ease just by smiling at them. Really, how could those closest to him shun him like this on his birthday, of all times?

Just then, a sudden revelation hit me and I brought a sealed box from under my bed.

„Oh, I almost forgot! Dad sent you a gift as well"

He looked at me, taken aback.

„He...remembered?"

His expression was one of both delight and sorrow at the same time.

It was unusual to receive anything from dad, even a phone call, let alone a birthday gift all the way from Egypt. He lived his life as if he had no kids at all.

Today was a special day indeed.

„Yea...sort of. He sent this a while ago actually, but I put it away in my room and forgot about it. He probably didn't remember when the exact day so he wanted to make sure he didn't miss it. See, it has a card for you taped to the box"

 _‚_ _Ryou, I hope that this gets to you in good time. This item is very valuable and I am entrusting its care to you. Call me when it arrives. Dad'_

He read it out loud, surprise still plastered all over his face. Dad actually remembered for once.

He took a deep breath and carefully undid the scotch tape. Ryou was usually very meticulous while handling things, given his tendency to work with small pieces, but I think this time he felt afraid to rip apart something he perceived as being „dad's". Whatever was in that box, it didn't even matter, the fact that it came from him made it more valuable than gold.

 _Speaking of.._

„Oh..wow.." he whispered as he slowly lifted the shiny item from its pillow bed. It was as large as the box, the pointy ends chiming as they hit the rim of the circle they dangled from.

The golden artifact looked both wondrous and creepy at the same time, with the eye in the middle staring at us like it was aware of our presence.

Ryou looked mesmerized and his smile widened as he tightened his grip around the ring part of the item.

„Sis, look! This...this is just like Yugi's!" he turned to show his present to me and I frowned in confusion.

It didn't look the same to me. Yugi's was a large upside-down pyramid, while this one looked more like a dreamcatcher. I guess it had a similar theme to it though, with the large mystical eye in the middle denoting its Egyptian origins.

„This looks really old...wonder where dad got it from"

Dad had a lot of junk he brought home from his expeditions, but he mostly didn't deal in souvenirs, just pieces for his museum. He never let us touch any of them either.

„Yugi didn't know where his grandpa got the puzzle from. He assumes it was a treasure from an ancient pyramid. This has to be from the same collection. And...it was meant...for me..." he trailed off, not looking at me as he spoke. His eyes were fixated on the object and he couldn't break away.

„So what do you plan on doing with it? It has a loophole on the top, right? Guess it's a necklace like Yugi's, then?"

„Like...Yugi's..."

I swiped my hand in front of his face a couple of times before he snapped back to reality.

„You know what this means, right, sis?" the smile returned to his lips as if nothing had happened.

I shook my head a little, not knowing where he was going with this.

„I'll finally get my wish! This is so wonderful!"

He wanted to wish for something? Since when?

„Well, that's what the cake was for..."

„N-no! This is real! This will really come true! Just like it did for Yugi!"

He sounded really excited about it.

„Oh? What did he wish for?"

He pretended to ignore me and continued.

„What do you think, sis? Isn't this amazing?"

„Sure, I guess. If this is what you really want, go ahead." I shrugged.

„Wait, wait! I need to put it on first, that's what Yugi did!"

He talked like he was performing a ritual.

He ran to his room, then went to the bathroom while holding a long string in his other hand.

Guess my gift wasn't as good as I had hoped.

* * *

 _„_ _Hey, Bakura! Wanna come to the arcade with us after hours?" Jounouchi asked, dropping his briefcase on his desk to gain his attention._

 _„_ _N-no..thanks, I'm busy tonight"_

 _„_ _Hey, man, you've been busy all the time lately. Are you upset with us?" Honda frowned._

 _„_ _No! Not at all. Really. I just...have other plans right now"_

 _„_ _Oh, wasn't your birthday around this time?" Yugi smiled, taking a seat on the empty corner of his desk._

 _„_ _Really? Man! My bad! Happy birthday, pal! Ah, i got'ya..." Jounouchi searched his pockets only to come out empty „..a nice place on the best couch at Burger World! Anzu's gonna treat us!"_

 _„_ _Wait, what do you mean ME?" she shrieked, hearing his declaration._

 _„_ _Oh come on, who else? You have special privileges there, don't'cha?"_

 _„_ _I work as a waitress, not a manager!" she pulled his ear harshly, dragging him closer to her as if he'd hear her better that way._

 _„_ _And don't say it out loud! Our principal would freak if he found out!" she continued._

 _„_ _So what you're saying is...you're gonna treat us to burgers...AND a desert of our choice!" he smirked at her, feeling like he had the upper hand._

 _„_ _Jounouchi, I can't waste any money on your sorry butt!"_

 _A stifled chuckle beside him._

 _„_ _Or Honda's!"_

 _The chuckle turned to an exaggerated sniffle._

 _„_ _Unlike you, I don't like skipping classes, you know! I really need to save up my money. Even if our school is against working during school days, there's really nothing else I can do right now..."_

 _„_ _Girl, let me tell ya from personal experience, gambling is a terrible idea..." he gestured with his pointer in his palm, like a teacher._

 _„_ _No, you bum! I'm not like you! I want to save up towards my dancing career!"_

 _„_ _Hey, hey, when did I ever state that I'm the one doing the gambling?"_

 _„_ _Thanks for the offer, everyone, but it's not my birthday..." Ryou said meekly, packing his things._

 _„_ _Really? I was sure it was on the 2nd..." Yugi scratched his head in thought. All those envelopes and packages he quickly stuffed in his briefcase had to mean something._

 _„_ _No, no, you're thinking of someone else. Mine isn't for a long time" he insisted._

 _„_ _Is that so, Bakura?" Yugi sighed, disappointed._

 _Ryou smiled warmly at him._

 _„_ _Yea. Don't worry about me and go have fun together"_

* * *

„Ryou? You ok in there?"

I knocked on the bathroom door. He was taking far too long. This isn't good.

It took a few knocks for a low ‚hum' of confirmation to come from the other side, so low I had to put my ear to the door to even hear it.

The knob turned ever so slowly, keeping me in suspense the entire time.

He dragged his way out of the bathroom and into the hallway, his legs barely carrying him.

He looked so pale, like the blood had been drained from his cheeks and his eyes were sunken low. Was he feeling sick? Were the snacks tainted?

„H-how...do I...look?" he managed, holding up the trinket with his hand.

„Ryou, are you sick?" he shook his head slowly in disapproval as I put my hand to his forehead. He was very cold. I didn't know what to make of this.

„You're not fine at all, Ryou. I'll call an ambulance"

Living with my brother, I had an assortment of numbers on speed dial.

He shook his head again with a little bit more force.

„I'm just a little sleepy, nothing to get...worked up about..."

His lying was pathological.

He slumped on the couch and lifted his necklace to stare at it again.

„I'm...so glad. Amane...I finally..." his voice cracked a little at that word and he paused.

It wasn't just my imagination. Something was definitely wrong.

„I finally...get my wish...just like...he got his..." he continued. His breathing was harsh, like he was struggling with something.

What do you want to wish for so badly, little brother?

„I..thought about it for a while. Ever since that day you asked me...and I realized...what I was missing...what I needed..."

I really didn't get where he was going with this.

He tightened both hands around the ring like it was a magic wand that needed help to exert its power.

„I...want to be strong. I want to be able to handle things without relying on anyone else...to change my fate with my own hands. To be the kind of man you could look up to. But most of all, I want to be able to protect you, no matter what!"

His hands shook as he said all of it in one breath.

„..that is my wish" he finished, letting out the air he had been holding in.

I looked at him, then at the ring. Nothing happened, though that creepy eye seemed to acknowledge him. Even though it was sculpted into the triangle in the middle, for a second there, I thought it reacted to him. I might have been a little paranoid given Ryou's behavior, but to me, it almost looked...amused.

He blushed deeply, realizing what he just said. It was a confession he made without thinking, something that had been weighing on his heart this entire time.

I took him in my arms and hugged him reassuringly.

„I'm glad you told me this, little brother. I'll help you with anything you need on your journey of self improvement."

I was glad that he was self-aware enough to want to change. It was a big step forward.

He hugged me back, then went limp. His body was still cold, but now his forehead was burning.

„I'm...glad you understand, Amane. I'll...be off to bed now" he managed, then wobbled to his room.

I glanced at the clock. 8.30 PM.

I brought a thicker blanket and covered him up to his chin, tucking him in like a small child while carefully placing the ring on top of the cover. He was still wearing that thing, even in bed. What if he poked himself with those sharp ends in his sleep?

I handed him some aspirin and a glass of water.

„I don't know how you managed to catch a cold this fast" I frowned at him.

„I'm just tired, that's all. I...I'll just sleep it off." he whispered as his eyes closed shut and he turned towards the window, falling into a deep sleep.

I ruffled his hair a little and turned off the light, leaving his room as quietly as possible.


	10. Who this thief is

_Running._

 _He was being chased down that alleyway._

 _This dream again._

 _How many times did he have this annoying dream?_

 _He already knew how it ended. He wasn't going to get caught, that's not how it happened in real life after all._

 _He had heard from someone that bad events ended up as dreams later in life. What they called ‚trauma'._

 _So annoying._

 _How many times did this event have to bother his sleep?_

 _He wasn't going to forget it anyway. How could he?_

 _It wrecked his brain every damn day. Every day for the past 10 years..._

 _He just wanted to sleep, dammit!_

 _Sleep and bother with it in the morning._

 _But the face of his dying mother wouldn't let him. Her horrified, screaming, pain-filled face as she looked straight at him in that moment..._

* * *

„Ryou! Breakfast is almost ready!" I said as I passed by his room.

Breakfast wasn't the right word for it.

I let him sleep in this morning since he looked so sickly last night, but he needed to eat. It was almost 11 and he was still in bed.

I made some herbal tea and I was working on a nice vitamin-rich salad to help him recover his strength.

He was lucky it was a Saturday. If I wasn't here, he'd just let his cold stew until it degenerated into a pneumonia again.

He didn't say a thing and I backtracked and knocked on his cracked door. He had his back to me, his white hair the only thing poking out from the thick covers.

„Breakfast!" I repeated to him.

He groaned loudly and pulled the covers over his head.

I pouted and left. Sometimes I wondered what he was thinking.

...

 _Shut up, will you!_

He squirmed in bed like an eel, not finding his place.

 _Why is it so damn hot?_

His hands grabbed the fabric of his covers.

 _This blanket is so thick! Who the hell uses blankets this thick during this time of year?_

Pause. Realization.

His eyes shot open.

Bed? Why was he in a bed?

He sprung up and threw the covers off of himself like they were filled with poison.

Quick rundown of last night, his mind churning fast. Eyes darted around the room. This place...

He shouldn't be here. He didn't fall asleep in a bed last night. Nowhere close. In fact, after getting the ring...

He checked. It was still hanging from his neck. In fact, everything he had on him was still there, even his shoes.

He slumped back in bed, sighing. He couldn't believe he actually fell asleep last night. He had been so agitated these past few weeks, he hadn't rested almost at all. It was inevitable that he'd eventually collapse, but still...

„Ryou! I can hear you awake in there! Come on over!"

Only one voice. Best case scenario.

He quickly picked himself up, grabbed what he could and opened the window. The cool air was refreshing and helped him think, but this location wasn't good at all. Not only was he in a completely unfamiliar place, but this house was taller than he'd taken it for. Over 5 stories above ground, by his calculations. Looking at the walls, he didn't have much to grab on to in order to climb down and jumping was out of the question unless he wanted all his bones broken.

Well, he could always use...

 _Shit!_

 _Why...why wasn't it working?! Why now?_

He grit his teeth. There was more afoot than he initially thought.

He'd have to get a lot of things sorted out once he got out of here.

Sadly, he'd have to do it the old fashioned way, and also without alerting... _her_...

* * *

I heard him fumble with the keys by the front door.

 _Come on! Come on!_

What was he doing there?

„Seriously, Ryou! How many times do I have to call you before..."

My voice trailed off as I left the kitchen to get him, only to run into...

 _Into..._

I froze, my eyes locked onto his. His look of surprise and confusion showed that he didn't expect me to catch him like this. The overwhelming fear in my eyes made him crack a nervous smile.

 _This...this person...was..._

This rag-wearing foreigner with various goods, jewelry, books and some of Ryou's clothing stuffed in a bed sheet over his shoulder...

„A THIEF!" I shrieked off the top of my lungs as he bolted out the door and into the hallway.

It took me a few seconds to come to my senses before I realized what was going on. When did this person get into our house? Where was Ryou?

He had the ring around his neck...Ryou's ring! This guy stole it! Along with everything we owned!

I unfroze and ran after him immediately. He had taken the stairs and was already 2 stories below me. Luckily we lived on the 7th floor. I took the elevator and caught up to him right as he reached the ground floor.

Even though he had ran with a heavy load on his back at such a high speed, he wasn't breathing hard at all. How many times had he done this?

He stared at me in shock when I came out of the elevator like I did something incredible.

„You! Stop right there!" I pointed at him accusingly as I came out. I tried to look confident, but my voice was trembling. He looked like he could bash me into the ground with ease. His mannerisms showed he was aware of that as well.

He gestured for me to lower my volume but it only made me scream even louder.

„Give back what you stole right now!" I insisted.

He rolled his eyes at me like I was a nuisance and kept going, only to get blocked by the front entrance. He pulled on the knob a few times, but the metal door wouldn't budge. How did he even get in if he didn't know about the lock?

I didn't even get to finish that thought before he rammed me into a wall. His elbow kept me in place as his feral eyes scanned me over. My nose scrunched as his foul stench hit me. I'd never been this close to a dirty tramp before, it was quite disgusting.

It didn't take long for him to find the keys in my back-pocket. He pulled them out and stared at them for a second, as if he was seeing keys for the first time.

Actually, his every action was done as if it was the first time he ran into that situation. It made no sense.

He let go as he headed for the door, but was stopped in his tracks as I fiercely jumped to grab his leg. He tried to shake me off like a parasite but I wasn't dettered.

„Let go, human!" he growled at me. His voice was harsh, but somewhat familiar. Why...why was that?

„Not until you give back our things!"

I held on as tightly as I could even as he was dragging me across the floor.

„Give back the ring!" I repeated.

He yanked me off of himself and lifted me to look him in the eye.

„What do you know about the ring?" he spat in a low, demanding voice.

„It's my brother's ring! He'll be really upset if it's stolen!" I tried to gain his empathy.

Where is Ryou...

„I don't care what dead people want from me" he scoffed.

My heart stopped in my throat. What did he just say?

„N-no...you...you're lying...you...YOU MURDERER!" I screamed the last part as loudly as I could. So loud, he had to cover his ears to try to drown out the sound.

Loud enough to convince a neighbor to come out, umbrella gripped tightly with both hands.

„What's going on here?" the old man roared, pointing his makeshift weapon at us.

He didn't need too long to assess the situation. The unknown invader had me by my shirt and was shaking me intently, a makeshift sack of obviously stolen goods hanging over his back.

„Honey, call the police!" he yelled over his shoulder as he tried to hold his ground inside the door frame.

 _I was sa-_

An arm hoisted me off the ground by my waist and before I even realized I had been kidnapped, we were already out in the street.

This guy had no pattern to his behavior.

He had frozen in place for a few moments once he got out, as if he didn't know where to go, then he bolted across the alley until he reached the park. Zig-zagging along pathways, jumping over debris, knocking people aside as he went. Completely chaotic.

I shrieked when my butt hit the ground after getting thrown in a bush and I scooted away instantly as he jumped next to me, bag in tow.

I heard the park patrol searching for us. This was my chance. I tried to get his attention but the thief's hand immediately covered my mouth and he shot me an aggressive glare to get me to stop. I squirmed around and bit his hand as hard as I could.

He didn't let go. He only winced a little before shoving his open hand down my throat, making me gag. I had to let go as I started choking.

Once the security guard was out of range he loosened up and turned me around to look at him. Tears had formed in the corner of my eyes. Was he telling the truth earlier? Was Ryou really...?

„I'm going to let go of you. And you are going to stop hollering. Got it?"

He waited on a nod from me, but it wasn't coming.

He slowly removed his hand from my mouth and I let out a loud wail. He groaned in frustration and covered it back up, then dragged me to the most remote corner of the park he could find.

„W-who are you?" I managed once my heart had settled down enough.

„You seriously don't know who I am?" he looked at me incredulously. „Then why are you standing in my way like this?"

„B-because...you robbed us blind!"

„Payback for trying to imprison me."

„I didn't bring you to my home! You broke _in_!"

„Shrew, if I had broken in, I would've known how to leave! This place looks nothing like anywhere I've ever been before!"

Is that why he was so disorientated?

„Why are you in Domino City then?"

„Domino city, huh...how far is that from Akhetaten?" he mused, tapping his chin.

„What's that?"

He rubbed his temples in frustration.

„Behdet? Abdju?... EAST or WEST of Waset?" he gestured, drawing a line in the air to show where that was.

„Gesundheit to you too." I mocked him.

He grabbed my shoulders and tried to shake the stupid out of me.

„Shrieking harpy, _where in Egypt am I_?"

„You're not in Egypt."

He dropped me, a look of worry spreading across his face. He fell into deep thought for a moment then he turned back to me.

„You know about my ring. What do you know about it?"

„Well, first of all, it's not yours, it's my brother's..."

„You look too pale to be Mahaad's relative."

„First of all, I don't know who that is. Secondly, I'll have you know my skin tone is perfectly normal by Japan's standards. You're the one who's too dark!"

He mused it over.

„Japan...Where is that in relation to Egypt?"

„I don't know, around 10.000 km east"

He looked like he had been shot. A long agonizing silence fell between us.

„What did you do to Ryou?" I finally managed to bring up again.

„Who?"

„My little brother! The one I've been talking about all this time!"

I pulled out a photo of us from my pocket and showed it to him. A photo of us smiling after my college acceptance ceremony. Ryou was already being bullied at Kaminari High, yet he smiled so serenely. He always tried to look happy for other's sake. This photo was painful to look at in retrospect.

He stared at it for a moment as if he was trying to process it, trying to understand what he was looking at.

„Who's this other girl?"

„That's him!"

The thief scrunched his face in sheer disgust and threw the picture away.

„Most definitely never seen _him_ before"

„You were in his room just now!"

„I never ran into anybody."

„W-what do you mean? I left him asleep in his bed last night and the front door was locked with his keys! There's no way he could've left..."

„Well that's too bad then. He wasn't there this morning."

„Then why are you wearing his talisman?"

He held it defiantly.

„This thing is mine. It has rightfully been mine since the very beginning."

„That's not true! My brother got it yesterday as a birthday present!"

He seemed lost. An idea flickered in his mind.

„What year is this?"

What kind of question was that? Was he out of it?

„How have you been functioning if you don't know it's Heisei 8?"

He crossed his arms.

„Judging by your absurd system, it seems I've been displaced for a while"

„Judging by your clothes, you've been living under a bridge for far too long!"

„Hey! This is fine Assyrian silk, you peasant! It's worth more than your entire kin on the slave market!" he held up the crimson robe to give me a better view of my failure as a fashion critic.

„Not that someone like you would even make for a good slave, given your attitude..." he growled in a low voice.

„You talk like a barbarian."

„You talk like you've never been put in your place" he retorted.

„Is that a threat? I'll have you know my dad is pretty famous, you won't get away with harming someone from the Bakura family!"

His eyes widened at that and he shook his head as if he was hearing things.

„What did you just say..."

„You won't get away-" he gestured for me to jump past that „-the...Bakura family..?" he raised his hand for me to stop there.

„Why do you carry my name?"

It was my turn to stare at him. Bakura wasn't a common last name, but surely we weren't the only ones in Japan with this name. This guy clearly wasn't Japanese though. Considering how much he valued it, it probably meant something more here than I initially thought.

„What do you mean? We've always had this name. We've had it for generations. What does it matter to you?"

A wide grin spread across his face. So wide, it threatened to swallow it whole. It turned into a fit of insane laughter, louder and louder, until it was echoing through the trees. If nobody heard him at this point, they had to be deaf.

He threw his arms in the air, his bloodshot eyes filled with glee.

„THIS IS IT! I WON! YOU HEAR ME!? ALL OF YOU! I WON!"

Was he talking to the sky?

I stared as he roared on like a madman. I needed to get away from this weirdo as quickly as possible. I tried to crawl away but he grabbed me and pulled me close to his face. I covered my mouth as his smelly breath hit me.

„This is a most glorious turn of events!" he said between chuckles, barely containing himself. He eyed me like a predator, the purple hue of his irises giving off a sinister glow in the trees shade.

He yanked me off the ground to his level and spun me around a few times before dropping me like a trash bag.

„Ah, this is wonderful! This feels amazing!"

„I don't understand...what are you getting at?"

I was so confused.

„Don't you know what this means?! The fact that you exist, the fact that I'm here right now...it means I won! I beat the pharaoh and his ilk! I defeated the Gods!...this place..this world...is the proof of my victory!"

He scratched his chin in thought. „it doesn't look that terrible for a post-apocalyptic setting, but it's fine nonetheless." he whispered to himself.

What did he mean by that?

„I still don't get it. What does any of this have to do with anything?" I insisted.

He bonked me on the head hard enough to make me wince.

„The name ‚Bakura'. Why do you think you have this name? It's because it came from me. You brother owns the Millennium Ring now, right? The same one I have on me."

I nodded.

„That means you share the same blood as me. Why do you think he has white hair? This is NOT a coincidence. Even if my blood thinned out considerably, you ARE my descendants, all of you. You can see me as your great grandfather."

 _Bullshit._

„You look pretty young to be a grandfather" I pointed out.

„Use your brain, sow! I'm not talking _literally_. I defied time to be here!"

„Stop insulting me, you caveman! Who even are you, anyway?"

„How can you be this ignorant? This is the future that _I_ created! You should recognize me from history books! From statues raised in my honor! Admire my legacy as the one who ended the 18th Pharaoh Dynasty! _The Great Thief King Bakura_!" he gloated.

„I have no idea who you claim to be, but ‚pharaohs' stopped existing thousands of years ago"

„Great-great-great grandfather then" he pointed out unfettered.

This guy was just plain crazy. A wandering lunatic that I had the misfortune to get kidnapped by. Thankfully, my luck was turning around as the guard from before heard him and was running over to save me.

„You don't believe me." he frowned.

I nodded. Of course I didn't.

„Come here" he pulled my arm as the security officer stopped next to us and yelled for my captor to lift his hands in the air.

„Don't let go."

A bright light and then the world around us stopped. No sound, no movement. Time itself had frozen into place for everything and everyone except the two of us. The guard was stuck in an awkward position, bent over with his hand on his gun as he was about to pull it out.

My captor walked hand in hand with me up to the guy, his surprised expression staring back at us as he probably only managed to register the bright light before going numb.

He made me touch the guard's skin with my other hand to prove to me it was real. The man felt cold, like a statue in the rain.

He picked up a pebble off the ground and turned it around with his fingers, analyzing its shape. He sneered wickedly at the guard then pointed the pebble at him.

„Punishment time"

The ring started rattling, the spikes raising to point at the guard's heart as if they were singling him out. It glowed again, basking the world around us in a golden hue that suddenly turned into a dark void.

I stared in horror as all the color drained from the man's face and he fell to the ground, completely limp.

Everything returned to normal in an instant.

„W-what happened to him?" I managed after a long pause.

„Nothing yet" the thief chuckled, playing with the pebble in his palm. He tossed it up and down a couple of times, then flung it as far as it would go.

„NOW, though, he's in trouble" he laughed, pushing the body out of view with his foot.

Is...is he dead?

Feared creeped back into my heart. What is going on? What is this? Magic?

„W-what happened to my brother then?"

„I can't say for sure, but I'm here, he must be there" he pondered.

„Over...there?"

„To put it in terms even you would understand, we switched places."

„Why would..? Didn't you say you time skipped or...something?"

„The items don't manipulate time and space. They manipulate souls. I don't know the extent to which they can spread their effect, but if it brought me here, it means it put another soul in my place."

„Are you certain?"

„The ring is our common thread. You said your brother put the ring on for the first time yesterday, right? So did I. We can assume we both got the ring around the same time. He probably did something to trigger this effect."

„The...wish." I said meekly.

„What?"

„My brother made a wish when he put the ring on last night"

 _That wish was the trigger?_

„That's impossible, the items don't grant wishes. But if he did manage to activate it somehow, even without realizing it, it might've been enough"

„So Ryou is stuck in Ancient Egypt? H-how do I get him back?"

„By helping me get all the items together"

„All...?"

„Listen carefully. There are seven Millennium Items like the one I'm wearing right now. If this one's here, the others have to be close by."

 _Yugi's puzzle..._

„Why do you need all of them? Isn't one enough?"

„Right now, I don't have the ability to do whatever he did with just the ring. I need time to master it. Time we don't have much OF." he insisted in all seriousness.

„Judging by that painting you showed me, he doesn't stand much of a chance in my world. Given his pale skin and unusual race, all the human traffickers will want to get a hold of him to sell him off to the highest bidder. Your kind is very valuable as collector's items"

My eyes widened in shock.

„And if he's truly unlucky and he ended up taking my place, then he's already doomed. I doubt he knows his way around the Mafkat desert. Considering his spindly constitution, I give him until sundown tomorrow before he gets eaten by a hungry jackal."

„No! You can't leave Ryou in the desert! He gets serious sunburns without cream and he tends to trip and bury himself in the sand whenever he goes to the beach!" I waved my arms around in panic.

The thief narrowed his eyes at me.

„Make that noon sharp and a particularly angry dung beetle"

I felt faint.

...

It was awkward, to say the least.

The police officer was talking to the old man out by the front entrance as he was giving him details about the incident. I can only imagine their confusion as we serenely walked past them together as if we were a couple, the strange Egyptian man still carrying the stuffed bag over his shoulder. He even saluted the officer and smiled as we made our way to the elevator.


	11. What's going to happen

"What are we going to do now?" I asked once we got home.

This felt overwhelming. Not only did I lose Ryou, but I was completely at the mercy of this psychopath in getting him back. I slumped to the floor, burying my head in my knees.

 _This can't be happening._

"Well, first things first-" he started, dropping unceremoniously onto the kitchen chair and flinging his dirty feet onto the table "-make me breakfast. I'm starving". He gestured for me to serve him like an emperor.

I puffed my cheeks in annoyance. _The nerve of this guy!_

I walked up to him, placed my hands on my hips and began scolding him.

"Let's get things straight: I am NOT your maid"

He placed his hands behind his head and started rocking the chair back and forth, waiting for me to finish my rant.

"Secondly, don't sit in Ryou's chair! You haven't earned this right! You need to learn how to behave like a normal human being before I'll treat you as anything more than a freeloader. Thirdly-"

I didn't get to finish my sentence before he tackled me to the ground and straddled me with his weight. He held my head in place by my cheekbones so that I'd have to look him straight in the eyes as he spoke to me, something I found extremely difficult to do. His glare was so aggressive, his pupils two shards of ice trying to stab me. His barred teeth were ready to tear out my throat. With his tanned complexion, every pale bit of his face seemed to glow: his eyes, his teeth, his hair…

"I don't think you understand who you're dealing with, little girl. I'M the one giving the orders here. I have _this many_ nerves left-" he raised his hand to stick his open palm in my face "-and you're getting on _all of them_. The only reason I haven't gutted you yet and disposed of your remains is because you're related to me by blood. That is the sole reason for our partnership. From this point on, you'll do EXACTLY as I say. Stop acting cocky and everything will be fine. You'll be my host and guide around this place and I'll handle the rest. _Got it_?"

I wanted to say something, but I couldn't.

My trembling vision drifted across his face, trying to find a place to settle and focus on, one that didn't make me feel uneasy. But no matter how hard I tried, my eyes always fell upon that scar. The deep pale gouge under his right eye fascinated me. I unconsciously followed its pattern like a labyrinth, tracing the way it spread out perpendicularly like a double cross. It made my mind wander, not really analyzing it, but unable to tear away. Did he feel it there whenever he moved his cheek?

"You're hopeless." he sighed loudly as he noticed what my eyes were fixated upon and loosened his grip.

I rubbed my sore jaw, his fingers leaving a dent that made me wince as I lightly touched the area.

"Yes, I do feel it." he added softly after a moment of silence.

I looked up as he went back to sit at the table, gesturing for me to get on with my serving duty.

I was a prisoner inside my own home.

I reluctantly picked up the food I had prepared for Ryou and placed it in front of him. He stared at it incredulously, then turned to frown at me.

"What's this?"

"Osozai salad and Yamecha tea"

"That's it?"

"That's what we usually have for breakfast, yes"

He jumped from his seat and started rummaging through the cupboards.

"Where do you keep your meat?"

"We don't have any! Both me and Ryou rarely eat meat so we're usually out of stock"

"Go out and buy 3 kilograms of pork" he stated calmly as he slowly closed the lid.

"Why don't you just try it before you dismiss it? It's good for your health" I insisted.

He turned to glare at me.

"Little girl, I've been eating nothing but roots and leaves for the past month. If I see another plant in front of me I'm going to go mad"

"Stop calling me ' _little girl_ '! I'll have you know I'm 21!"

He did an exaggerated double take and weighed me up and down.

"Bullshit! No way you're older than me!"

"Well, how old are _you_?"

"16"

It was my turn to stare at him. This guy was tall and brawny with a solid frame and chiseled face. At first glance, I assumed he was 25, at the very least.

"No way you're the same age as my brother!" I pointed at him accusingly.

"Ma'at have mercy, _he's 16_ …Both of you are a terrible disappointment." he sighed, scratching his head in frustration "See, this is what happens when you don't have any meat in your diet!"

"We're going out to breakfast." he continued. "Get me an appropriate outfit for your time period. Preferably something thick, my legs are cold."

He rubbed his bare calves for emphasis.

"Of course it's cold, it's autumn after all"

"Your autumns are terrible." he grumbled. "Your entire world is terrible."

"We're sorry you have to share it with us as well." I joked, but inwardly I was afraid he might hit me for it.

"There's just no fixing you, is there, _woman_?" he shook his head at me, scratching his short messy hair continuously. "Well, at least you're stubborn till the end. There's something to admire about that."

I watched him idly as he paced around the kitchen, still scratching incessantly while mumbling to himself.

"Don't tell me you have fleas" I chuckled.

"Lice, actually" he gave a deadpan answer.

My face dropped.

"Y-You're joking…"

"Meh, it's only been 3 weeks since I last had a bath, it's not that bad. _Yet_."

I freaked and pushed him all the way into the bathroom despite our size difference, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Wash yourself right now! Use all the soap and shampoo if you must!"

I didn't care if he killed me, I wasn't going to let him contaminate the whole house.

* * *

There had to be something I could do to get out of this situation. Just having this guy in my house, doing as he pleased, touching everything with his filthy hands, was driving me up a wall. I shuddered at the thought.

I quickly changed the entire bed set in Ryou's room and began disinfecting every piece of furniture that he might have touched. I think I was at it for over an hour, scrubbing the kitchen cupboards as he came back from the bathroom.

Butt naked.

I caught a quick glance of his entire physique before going beet red and turning around in shock.

"Put a towel on this instant!" I shrieked as my hand blindly searched around for anything that could work for him. I grabbed a large hand towel and handed it to him, my eyes shut tightly as I did everything I could to avoid glancing his way.

"Thanks, I was looking for one" he stated before yanking it out of my hand.

I waited for about a minute for him to cover himself before cracking my eyes open, one at a time.

"You done?"

"Yea, sure"

I breathed a sigh of relief before turning around to face him. He had wrapped it around his head like a turban.

I screeched in disgust and covered my face again. I heard him heartily laugh at my discomfort.

"You sure are a prude." He stated between chuckles. "Most women would jump at the chance to see all of this"

I growled in frustration.

"There, it's over; your virgin eyes are spared now" he said after a while.

I scrunched my face, hoping to erase the mental image of his naked body from my brain. I realized I had fixated on his scars, as each and every one of his bodily blemishes, though faint, was etched clearly in place inside my mind. But the nearly invisible one at the middle section of his neck, the one that stretched perfectly along the fold of skin and would usually get covered up when he bent his head, that one grabbed my attention the most.

"O-of course I value privacy! Exposing yourself in front of other people's just…wrong" I stammered.

"Not when you have something to show." he corrected me boastfully.

"Who are you even trying to impress? Anyone can get a body like that by working out." I tried to cut him down to size a little.

"Don't insult me with those words. I don't _'work out'_. All of _this_ -" he ran a hand over his chiseled chest and abs for emphasis "-happened naturally, through my daily life. Massive bodies are very rigid and unresponsive, that's why beefy men are useless slabs of stone. What I do doesn't require just physical strength, but also flexibility. What I have on me is all practical."

"Practical for what?"

"Tomb robbing." he stated, sitting down on the chair I just finished sanitizing. The ring he still had around his neck made a chiming noise as he moved. I sincerely hoped he had washed properly.

"Why would you do that?"

"To enact justice"

"What kind of 'justice' are you talking about?"

He turned around, crossing one leg over the other in a wide stance as he drummed his fingers on the table. I had to turn towards the wall again. At this point, he had to be doing it on purpose.

"Think about it. They dictate the rule of the land and get to decide everyone's livelihood. They pass this leadership from generation to generation, being heralded from birth as the chosen ones. Chosen by whom? _The Gods_? They chose even the weak, idiotic or physically deformed? Are the Gods this indifferent about what happens to the people down below that they'd put someone so undeserving to rule over them? Or maybe they just left us to fend for ourselves a long time ago..."

"So what, are you passing judgment on the Gods?" I chuckled.

"I'm trying my darndest, yes. But my first target is the Royal Palace. The Pharaoh and his willing allies never earned their right to control us and they never received punishment for any crimes they committed against their people. I'm one of those who decided to take them through a trial by fire. Make them earn their right to that throne, or die trying."

"Where does tomb robbing come into all of this, though?"

"Ah, that's just my way of letting them know they aren't safe from me, even in death. I'm just taking back what they stole, _piece by bloody piece_ " he emphasized it by rattling the ring in front of me.

He took my hand and ran my fingers over the surface of the pyramid. It shined even brighter now that it was clean, pinching my fingers as I traced the design.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he smirked at me, noticing how mesmerized I was by the item's form. I nodded absently.

"What gives you the right to take this from the Pharaoh?" I gulped, my hand trailing the rim.

"The fact that it's made from my mother's flesh." he said in a low tone, the smile disappearing in an instant.

I pulled my hand back instantly, clenching my fist as if I touched something horrible. Was he telling the truth just now?

"Well, I might be wrong here. I don't know which one _exactly_ is made from her or my father's flesh. There might be a little bit of them in all the items. Unfortunately, they can't clarify it anymore"

His tone was a mix between bitterness and amusement.

 _This is a terrible joke. Stop lying to me._

"Do you believe in fate?" he changed subjects, breaking the tension between us.

"M…yea, I kinda do" I mulled it over in my head.

"Then what are you living for?"

"Excuse me?"

"If your existence is predetermined, why even bother? You seriously content with being a puppet? Strung on through your daily life by invisible tread, made to carry out someone else's will?"

I never really gave it his much thought before.

"And you?"

"I beat my fate. Several times in fact."

He ran his hand over his scars to show me what he meant.

"The Gods are a weak bunch if they can't even kill someone like me." he laughed.

Another bout of silence fell between us.

"So what happens after you get all the items?"

"Things will just settle in place. My work will be done and you'll get to see your brother again"

"You mean it?"

I had a hard time trusting him.

"I never back down on my word"


	12. What she meant to him

"Need any help with that?"

Getting someone who only wore kilts and robes to dress in modern clothing was probably a greater challenge than I initially anticipated. Thinking it over, he was adapting to the present time impressively fast. He quickly understood and accepted the technology and behavior of people around him. I would've probably been completely lost if I were in his shoes.

I sighed, pressing my back against the wall and assessing my situation. Having him over for several days was going to be problematic. Dad's room was pretty much off limits, as well as the game room, and there was no way I'd let him sleep with me in my room. For now, I'll have to reluctantly let him use Ryou's.

I gave him strict instructions on what he could and couldn't touch, handed him some clean clothes to choose from and closed the door behind him. I made sure to lock the places he was forbidden from entering, just in case.

There wasn't much I could pick for him since he was a couple of sizes over Ryou. It was hard to find casual clothes in dad's wardrobe, since he was almost always formally dressed. And heavens strike me if were to put this Neanderthal in a suit.

"I'm done" he turned down my proposal, opening the door.

He looked surprisingly decent in that red v-neck sweater and khaki dress pants.

 _He has a thing for red, huh._

"If you took off those gaudy jewels it'd look even better" I added.

"These jewels belonged to the freshly deceased former Pharaoh. I'm keeping them for personal pleasure" he smiled, spinning around one of the gold rings with his thumb "besides, they're worth good money, they can always be useful in a pinch"

"You're just inviting burglars to rob you"

"I hope they're stupid enough to try" he smirked confidently.

He walked out into the hallway and stopped in front of the full length mirror. He seemed perplexed, like it was the first time he saw his own face. He ran his fingers over the cheek scar, frowning.

"It really is deep" he grumbled.

"You...never saw it before?"

"Not this clearly. Running hot water at your disposal...perfect indoor heating…large transparent mirrors in common people's homes…you have no idea how good you have it in your world."

He was right, I never thought about these basic living conditions as privileges. It put things a little into perspective.

"It's not that bad."

"What?"

"The scar. It's got an interesting shape, like a tattoo"

"It's the only one that doesn't want to heal. It happened due to carelessness, but I'd rather see it as my mark as successor"

"Successor of what?"

"The former King of Thieves."

There he went again. I thought it was a joke, but he seemed to take the title seriously.

"Thieves have kings?"

"Everything has a hierarchy. Of course, there can't be such a thing as a formal 'king', considering how every clan has its own leader. But, I want to be the only one. I want to bring meaning to this title. Usurp leadership of all the thief gangs in the kingdom and bring them under my wing. I want everyone to know who they're dealing with and respect me."

He sounded so confident in his absurd goals.

"And how's it coming along?"

"It's a work in progress" he shrugged.

I chuckled a little. What a sense of humor this guy had.

"You really think I can't do it. Even though I ruled the world, you think I can't achieve something as banal as rallying a bunch of low lives together"

He seemed a tad irate.

"You keep saying that. But I don't understand how you're so sure something like that ever happened"

He lifted my chin to look at him.

"Because you exist."

"…"

"Because I had offspring to make your family happen. It's all the proof I need."

I mussed it over. I wanted to tell him the obvious, but I was afraid of his reaction to the truth. The only reason he was even acting civil around me was because he thought I was his relative. If he changed his mind, I don't know what he'd do to me. But still…

"It's kind of a strange, you know. For relatives of your race to end up in Japan…"

"No, not really. There was one possibility. Shāngxīn."

"What?"

"It must've been her. I found her in the slave trade a few months ago. I took her out of their clutches before they managed to stain her pale beauty with their disgusting ways. She was lucky, they hadn't found a bidder rich enough for her value yet."

He looked ahead, lost in his thoughts.

 _But…_

"She was so exotic. A wealthy noble, past her prime, but still infinitely captivating. That hair was as dark as yours and kept in an exquisite bun with flowery hair pins…her face so white it brightened the desert night…her robes a colorful and delicate satin, like a calm spring river."

He described her with such passion, as if he was drowning in ecstasy.

"I never loved her." he added flatly.

"But-" he continued "-she had an exquisite and refined air to her and her humble, quiet nature fascinated me. She had class unlike any other woman I've ever met. It was obvious they took extra care in transporting her so as to not damage her value. She still had most of her belongings with her when I found her as well. Trinkets from the Far East, some of whom I still don't know the use for. Now I regret not keeping them to remember her by."

"Did something happen?"

"No, I just let her go. When I found her, she didn't speak more than a few words of Egyptian. She told me her name, but not much else. From what I gathered from my peers, she, her husband and servants were crossing the Nefud Desert when they got ambushed. All the men were executed and the women were taken as slaves."

What a cruel world he lived in. And he treated it so matter-off-factly, as if it was the natural order of things.

"I kept her in my quarters for the next few weeks. I didn't want anyone to touch her, not even myself. Using her as a sex toy would just taint her beauty. Even though she wasn't a virgin, she still felt so pure. So I made sure to protect her from their prying hands. She was a prize they didn't deserve."

"That was rather noble of you"

He spoke of women like they were cattle. It made my skin crawl.

"She stayed in a corner for much of that time, weeping silently to herself. I ignored her for a while but eventually, I tried to get a conversation going between us. She mostly understood what I was saying, but she couldn't tell me much. Over time, I found out where she came from and that she had 3 children waiting for her back home."

He seemed saddened when he said that.

"Children shouldn't have to grow up without parents. Something like that is unforgivable. So I decided to help her get back to them. One night, I sneaked her out of our base and took her over to a sailor I knew and trusted who could help her cross the Persian Gulf and provide a caravan that was going to take her all the way across the Bod Plains. She would have to fend for herself from there, but I trusted that she was resourceful and clever enough to do it."

I didn't know where 'Bod' was supposed to be, but I assumed he was talking about the central Tibet region.

"Even with her limited Egyptian, she had a good grasp of what was waiting for her ahead. She was grateful to me for understanding she needed to go home. That night, we came together. Even though I promised myself I wouldn't, even though I turned down the chance many times before, that night I couldn't help myself. When her soft hand touched my cheek, I knew it was my last chance to taste her body before I'd never see her again."

Ah, so that was what he meant before.

"She just let me have her, like it was my reward. She didn't even react to anything. No pleasure, no pain. Just followed my rhythm and tried to provide me with the release I needed, quietly and obediently."

I really didn't want to know any more of that.

"But I guess it was worth it, huh?" he smiled. A genuine, soft smile, as he placed a hand on my cheek. He seemed so proud of himself for it, as if he did something amazing.

"She had to have been the one. That night, that hollow, empty night of sex blossomed into something wonderful. Of all people, it was her. She took my seed with her back to her homeland, and now I have you. For that, I don't mind letting her go."

He sighed deeply and removed his hand from my face.

He really seemed to love the idea of a family.

So I didn't have the heart to tell him.

"Let's go, my stomach is eating itself" he gestured for me to follow him outside.

 _Shāngxīn wasn't a name._

"You seriously want to eat out? It's really expensive you know!"

 _And she wasn't Japanese._

"I trust that you can afford it. Do your great-grandfather a favor" he grinned at me as he pulled my hand outside.

 _She probably…never made it back home._


	13. What he plans on doing

_The world was completely empty._

 _He fell, the force of gravity having no effect on his sense of balance. He fell slowly in an infinite void. So slowly, it felt more like hovering. The wailing of ghosts he usually heard was replaced by disembodied voices, whispering and analyzing him._

 _He was completely numb. He couldn't wake up, but he could still hear them._

 _The voices echoed all around him, but despite that, he felt alone._

 _He had been lost in that nothingness for so long, he felt like he was breaking apart. Slowly but surely, like a river washing over a rock, eroding it with every wave, breaking it to pieces over the course of millennia until it became sand and floated downstream with the tides._

 _He fought it as hard as he could. He didn't want to disappear._

 _"What is your name?"_

 _No response. His mouth was sealed. The words he was trying to form dissipated into the darkness around him._

 _The voices repeated the question._

 _"What is your name?"_

 _Nothing._

 _What was it again…_

 _The voices started whispering among themselves again. They seemed pleased._

 _He couldn't stand it. His heart couldn't stand it._

 _He wasn't going to give in._

 _"It's Bakura."_

 _He couldn't speak, but his mind projected his voice as loudly as possible._

 _The voices fell silent for what felt like an eternity._

 _An eternity of being broken apart once more._

 _Then, they came back._

 _He was still unraveling, the void swallowing every bit that fell out of him. Strings of soul coming undone, turning into smoke, leaving his bright core ever more exposed._

 _"What is your name?"_

 _"…Bakura."_

 _The voice his mind projected sounded less confident. He was losing the last bit of consciousness he had left. But he still fought them. They weren't going to get what they wanted._

 _They talked among themselves again. What was it going to take to make him let go?_

 _They left again._

 _The third time they came back, there was so little left of him. His outer form remained, but it was an empty shell. His soul had become so bright, it shined through his hollow body._

 _"What is your name"_

 _He couldn't speak at all._

 _"What is your name"_

 _He struggled. He struggled so hard. His mind was in tatters._

 _He managed to move. In his fall, he lifted his head ever so slightly. He couldn't see them, but he instinctively turned towards their source._

 _"My name…is Bakura. And you can never take that away from me"_

 _There was a displeased chatter all around as the voices had no more patience left. Time was up._

 _He felt a sharp pain spread throughout his body as his mouth unsealed, granting him the right to scream. He fell faster and faster, as if he was crashing down. He unraveled completely, leaving his core behind as a bright pearl of purity. A pearl even the demon that lurked in that eternal darkness couldn't afford to touch._

 _His screams faded as he disappeared, leaving his name as an echo, etched into the pearl._

 _'Bakura'_

* * *

"This place is bigger than I imagined it to be"

"Of course it is, it's a city after all!"

He scowled as we walked down the main road, hands in his pockets. I caught the eyes of an old couple before they turned around and whispered to each other. I lowered my gaze in shame and pretended I was alone.

"Why're they staring at me? These clothes you gave me weren't a joke, were they?" he frowned, pulling at the cloth of his sweater.

"No, that's not it. It's just…"

 _How do I even explain this to him?_

"...you're like, one of maybe 5 dark-skinned foreigners in the entire city. People are going to notice you no matter what. That's also why you have to behave and follow the rules. If you commit any crime, you'll be identified immediately."

"That's alright. I love a challenge" he smirked as I felt like pulling my hair out. There's just no getting through to him, is there?

I looked around, thinking of a cheap fast food joint we could go to. I wasn't really hungry and I doubted he could even tell the difference. I didn't realize he had left my side to check out a book stand until he patted me on the back from behind.

"That place looks decent" he pointed out as I instinctively jumped when he touched me. I turned to look where he was pointing.

 _Oh no, not a bistro!_

"I don't really have the money for a place like that" I reminded him.

"I thought your father was 'someone important'. Surely you're not stricken with poverty"

He remembered that, even though I only mentioned it once.

"We kinda are. Neither me nor my brother have jobs yet. We live entirely off of the money dad sends us every month and we're running pretty low right now."

"It's fine. You can handle it" he joked as if he didn't understand the kind of demands he was making of me.

I growled in frustration as he pushed me inside by the shoulder, acting like he was helping me enter the place like a gentleman.

The young waiter immediately spotted us. Not like it was difficult, given the company I had. He seated us by the window in a nice, private corner and brought us a pair of menus.

"These don't have any drawings..." he mumbled as he flipped through the pages.

"So, how do you plan on getting Ryou back?" I tried to get us on track once we settled down.

"Like I said, I need all 7 items. Then I'll see if I can open a time rift for him"

It didn't sound too well thought out.

"How are you going to find them though? They could be anywhere."

I already knew where one of them was, but my instincts told me it'd be better if I kept it to myself.

"That's why I have _this_ -" he said, pulling out the ring from under his shirt. "I made an effort to get a hold of it first and foremost because it's key to finding all the others. You see, the Ring reacts if there's another Millennium Item nearby and points towards said item's location. It shouldn't take me too long to find them all." he explained.

Just from his tone, I dreaded the idea of him accomplishing his goal.

"So you plan on walking around town aimlessly until you bump into one?"

"No, we'll go about it methodically" he continued, pulling out a city map from his pocket and unfolded it onto the table. "This here is a street, right? We start at our current location, work our way north, then circle around the entire area and end back here by sundown…" he traced out the plan to me with a fork.

"Where did you get this?" I pointed at the map, concern visible on my face.

"We passed by a merchant with lots of them a little earlier."

"You took it from the stand? They aren't free, you know!"

"Eh, not like he'll miss it"

"You don't get it, this is a BIG deal! If he calls the police-"

I stopped as the waiter came over to our table, notebook in hand.

"Has the lovely couple decided on anything to eat?" he smiled a fake, friendly smile at me.

 _Please, stop._

I went beet red and I tried to hide my embarrassed face in my menu.

"Hmm. Kinda." my companion mused, completely unimpressed, looking through the menu as if he was having a hard time deciding on what to pick. "Which ones are the meat dishes?"

The waiter pointed out a section of the menu.

"Ah, yes. That's right" he acted as if he just overlooked it. "What's this say?" he placed the page in my face. So close, in fact, that I had to reel back to be able to see anything.

"Yakitori." I squinted at the text.

He waited, as if I had more to say.

When I didn't, he gestured for me to go on.

"Chicken skewers" I explained to him.

He nodded in agreement. He buried his nose in the menu again, examining it thoroughly.

"And this?" he pointed to the very next item on the list.

"Gyoza. Meat dumplings" I shrugged.

 _Read it yourself, will you?_

He slammed the menu shut and handed it to the waiter.

"Bring me whatever you have with lots of pork in it"

"Sure, sir, we have a great tasting Pork Yakisoba" the waiter replied, visibly nervous.

"Wait, don't get that! It's an extra large meal!" I tried to warn him and spare my wallet at the same time.

"That's fine, I'm compensating for dinner last night as well" he dismissed me and my worries.

I sighed in defeat.

"And the lady?" the waiter turned to me. His eyes were pleading me for a more rational conversation.

"I'll just have a milkshake, please"

I had lost my appetite anyway.

"So, that'll be a Yakisoba and a milkshake" the waiter repeated back to us as he jotted down the order.

"And 2 beers" the thief added.

"I don't drink beer!" I jumped at that.

"Who said anything about you?"

* * *

I blew bubbles into my milkshake as I watched him shove handfuls of meat into his face at once, drowning it in beer to moisten up the sludge and help it slide down his esophagus.

My mind drifted. If a pig eats pork, does that count as cannibalism?

"Drinking beer for breakfast is unhealthy" I warned him.

 _Breakfast_ , I said, but it was already past 12.

He swallowed everything in his mouth at once. I winced, imagining what was happening in his stomach right now.

"Quite the opposite. This is how I get up in the morning. It helps me think." He pointed out, finishing the first pint in one go.

 _This guy…_

"Beer isn't good for concentration! It makes you light-headed!" I stated matter-of-factly.

"It's also how I go to sleep at night" he insisted, undeterred.

He gestured for the waiter to bring him 2 more beers.

"Alcoholism is a serious problem, you know"

I frowned. I didn't really care about his health, but it was a sad sight nonetheless.

"Oh please! This horse piss you have in your country doesn't even deserve to be called 'beer'. You wouldn't get a child drunk with this!" he complained as he downed the second pint.

 _And yet, here you are drinking it anyway._

"Why would you even WANT to get drunk?"

Most people don't set it as their goal.

"Like I said, it helps." he stated with a serious tone, looking down at his reflection in the glass while slowly running his thumb around the rim.

"Too much alcohol only helps in ruining your brain"

"Good."

He still sounded very serious.

Silence fell between us as we finished our orders.

"Come on, we have a lot of ground to cover" he said, getting up from his seat.

I barely had enough time to leave the money on the table as he forcibly dragged me out of the bistro and into the street.


	14. What kind of person he is

He stopped me at the red light and opened up the map again.

"What is this area by the water called?" he pointed at the kanji.

"Domino Peer"

He nodded and pointed at the boulevard leading to it.

"And this?"

Then I realized something.

"You can't read Japanese?"

"No."

"That makes no sense! You're speaking Japanese right now!"

"I'm not speaking your language, you're speaking MINE. The Millennium Ring probably acts as a translator between us." he emphasized by rattling the item a little, making it chime as the pointers hit the hoop.

"Then, can't it translate text as well?"

"It probably does, but it doesn't matter. I can't read or write, period."

I frowned.

"So, you're illiterate?"

That actually explained a lot.

"Most people back home can't afford schooling, you know. Heh, my mother used to say I have a good head on my shoulders. She thought I'd make a great philosopher if I ever got a formal education"

He rubbed the back of his neck smiling as he recalled the memory.

"So, what stopped you?"

"I actually wanted to try it at first, but after a while, there was no point anymore" he shrugged.

"Why not?"

He glared daggers at me and ignored my question.

"Alright, so if we go this way, we can get to the peer by mid-afternoon" he traced the street upwards.

"You're kidding! There's no way we can get that far on foot!"

"Why?"

"This map is scaled down considerably. Domino City is twenty times bigger than you think!"

He looked taken aback by this. Change of plans.

"We'll need a horse"

"There aren't any horses in the city. We've moved past that."

"Those carriages racing in the street?" he pointed at the traffic flowing around us.

"Cars. Yes."

"Alright, we're getting a car then"

"You can't just _get_ a car. You have any idea how expensive these are?"

"Who cares about money?"

 _What world did he live in?_

…

I said it before, but now it was undeniable. This guy was clinically insane.

He just stopped a car in the street, dragged the driver out and told me to take his place.

"I don't have a license!" I shrieked as he forced me behind the driver's seat.

"I don't know how to use your crazy contraption! You'll have to do it!" He yelled back as he got in next to me. "Now go!"

I panicked as the deposed man started banging on the car window to let him back in. In the spur of the moment, I pressed the accelerator, leaving him in the dust.

We didn't get too far before my reckless driving led to us being chased by a cop car.

"We have to pull over" I cried as the sirens got closer and closer.

"I'll handle it, you keep this thing steady" he said to me and before I could ask what he was planning, he opened the door and climbed on top of the car.

 _'Steady'_ he said, but watching him do that made my hands quiver on the wheel and we started zig-zagging through traffic at high speed.

I heard him curse at me in frustration as he rocked back and forth on the roof before a bright light blinded me for a moment and the cop car fell behind.

The light forced me to close my eyes shut and I didn't see the Toyota turning the corner in front of me. By the time I reacted, we were too close to avoid the impact. I didn't even know which pedal the break was. I swerved hard, as did the driver in front of me, and we managed to only blow each other's rear-view mirrors off. The car stopped as the battery died from the abuse and I sighed in relief.

I heard the thief's yell as he was flung off the roof and into the street at full speed, rolling into traffic as he fell.

I watched in horror as the drivers tried their best to react to this unforeseen event, avoiding him by mere centimeters. He recovered quickly, pulling his arm away as a van breezed by.

He staggered to his feet, clearly battered after the whole ordeal.

I heard the cops again. They weren't down, just temporarily set back.

He limped back and pulled me out of the car.

"Run!" he screamed at me to snap me out of my daze and dragged me away.

Even wounded he moved faster than me.

He noticed I lagged behind and threw me over his shoulders, picking up the pace.

I had a hard time processing the situation. I wasn't overweight, but I wasn't that light either. He had a bleeding right arm and an unsteady left foot and yet he still outran the cops who were chasing us. I didn't know if it was brute strength or sheer determination that kept him going, but he wasn't relenting in the least. The chase lead us into a narrow alley between two buildings.

"Wait, this is a dead end!" I cried as I saw the wall in front of us.

"Yes, it'll do" he stated as the cops finally caught up to us.

He picked up a trash can and chucked it at them with full force.

"Close your eyes" he warned me as the ring shined again. I heard the cops scream as the heavy trash can dropped onto them and they started flaying their arms in horror as if it was attacking them.

 _What did he do?_

"This'll keep them busy for a while" he smirked as he jumped to grab the drainpipe. I yelped as the pipe creaked under our collective weight, but he didn't flinch and started rapidly climbing to the top. He reached the second floor before the pipe gave in and started falling with us in tow. I braced for impact, but the thief calmly jumped off to grab a balcony ledge on the other building.

I couldn't comprehend how he did it, but he jumped from one building to the other until he reached the roof of the 4th floor convenience store. Once we stopped going, I unclenched my grip, dropping to the ground like a rock. I stayed there, breathing hard and trying my best to calm my racing heart.

"You're acting as if you did all the work" he came up to me, shaking his head in disapproval.

He barely seemed affected at all. What incredible stamina.

"You're a goddamn juggernaut" I growled, coughing as I talked.

"I told you, it's experience" he smirked as he walked out of view.

He took a few minutes to come back into my vision range and bent over to look at me.

"I scoured our situation and we're not doing so great. Most buildings are too far and too tall to reach from here. We'll have to get down to street level and lay low for a while."

Best news I heard all day.

"We need to get back home and treat you" I pointed out at his wounded arm and he shrugged it off.

"We don't have time right now. We're behind schedule." he stubbornly kept to his plan and pulled out the map again.

"Judging by the scenery, we made it up to here" he marked the map with his own blood.

My mind screeched to a halt. I just stopped trying to understand him.

"We can still cover some ground before sunset. Let's go" he clapped at me to get up and follow him.

Is this guy even human?

* * *

I managed to convince him to use public transport and we somehow got to our destination and back before 9 PM. We didn't find anything, but we did make the evening news. I felt like dying of shame as my thankfully blurry-filmed face was placed on the wanted list.

Worse yet, since he had such a distinctive look, my 'guest' couldn't walk outside anymore or else he'd get identified immediately. "Middle eastern" was all people needed to point him out to the cops.

"I warned you" I told him as I brought the bandages and rubbing alcohol into the living room.

He was watching the news coverage on TV, frowning.

"This is in real time?" he pointed at the screen and I nodded.

"Yes, anyone can watch this at home and know who you are"

"Things are a lot more complicated in this world than I imagined. Nonetheless, it's not that bad. We'll just have to be more subtle"

Stubborn till the end.

"No, you need to stop. Just let it be. We'll find another way to rescue my brother" I contradicted him and he winced a little as I cleaned his wound. He had multiple cuts on his arm as the skin scraped off on the harsh pavement earlier.

"Stop doubting me, woman." He growled and bit his lip as the alcohol burned into his flesh. "This is nothing."

"Stop calling me things. My name is Bakura Amane."

"I won't call you 'Bakura'. That is _my_ name and mine only"

"You don't have any other name?"

"No. This is the name my parents gave me and it's important to me. It defines who I am."

I don't think I've ever met anyone that clung to their name like that. It's not even a good name.

"It's hard to call someone else by my last name, you know" I pouted.

"It's only a last name because I made it so. You only have it because of me granting it to you."

He... _Bakura_ shifted his weight on the couch and gestured for me to sit down next to him.

"You can't bandage properly. Give it here." he ordered as I handed him the roll and he used the TV screen as a mirror to patch his arm up. He was right, he did a better job than I did.

"Yesterday I got buried under a collapsing pyramid while getting the ring. Today has been a vast improvement by comparison" he stated without any emotion whatsoever.

At this point, I was willing to believe him.

"Didn't that terrify you?" I wondered aloud.

"No, I'm used to it by now"

What kind of life did he lead?

"Look here" Bakura pointed at his knee as he lifted his left pants leg "see this dent? It's what's left after my knee got shattered by a blacksmith hammer."

He pushed his thumb into a small gap on the tibia of his right leg.

"They had the courtesy of breaking this one lower than the other. Knees hurt more than calves, though a broken leg is useless either way. I have matching ones on my arms as well. So, no, a little scratch doesn't worry me"

He recalled this as if it was a funny story.

"How…" I stammered.

"My first solo heist didn't go as planned. It was my first time doing something of this magnitude and I was weakened by hunger as well. I got caught immediately and made an example of. They broke all my limbs and threw me into a trash heap to die a slow death while my remains were to be pecked at by vultures. I was 7."

No emotion at all.

"And even then, weren't you scared back then?"

"Of course I was. I didn't want to die. I still don't, even if you don't believe me. I cried a lot that day. But I learned that crying and sniveling only helps you give in faster. If you truly want to survive, you need to pick yourself up and try again. Find that fire inside you and learn to wield it. That's what I did. I waited until dark and crawled away like a worm. I stayed hidden until I healed enough to walk again, then tried a second time with the knowledge I gained from that experience. It got easier from there."

I stared at the floor. He was so relaxed throughout it all. It felt uncomfortable.

"In hindsight, it wasn't as bad as this one" he said, running his hand over the neck scar. The one that caught my eye this morning. Very faint, but at a strange location.

"How did you get it?" I asked, my curiosity piquing. I was getting past my nervousness and just wanted to know.

"Another failed attempt at a robbery. This happened when I was about 9. I wasn't as bad at running away at that point, but I was bad at fighting. I had picked a difficult target as well: a mountain of a man, as tall as he was wide. He was a most nasty local aristocrat in that town and rich beyond your wildest dreams. He couldn't be picked easily, since he had a lot of guards. I tried to force my way through, grab anything I could and high-tail it out of there."

I cupped my face in my hands and drew closer. His stories fascinated me, like something out of the movies.

"Despite being a fat bastard, he had good reflexes. One swipe to the back of my head and he knocked me to the ground. His arm was as thick as my torso. By the time I got back to my senses, I realized he had pulled his jewel-encrusted sword at me. I went for my own but he was already in mid-swing for my neck. I was lucky to react just fast enough to get grazed by it. I remember it happened at the same time. The moment I backed away he lunged forward and I struck my sword into his soft belly as deeply as I could. I gutted him like a pig then ran for it as his guards took priority in trying to save his life. I ended up with no reward, an open throat wound and my first kill under my belt."

"You have a good memory." I nodded.

"Unfortunately"

"Why do you do this? What would your parents say if they saw you like that?"

"They'd probably be very disappointed with me. My mother wanted me to be a scholar and my father wanted me to continue the family business" he chuckled.

"What happened to them?"

He frowned deeply and left the room.

"It doesn't matter" he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

He was lying. It mattered a lot. But he didn't feel like sharing it with me.

I didn't even notice as he brought a pack of beer with him to Ryou's room before he shut himself in for the night.

* * *

 _He was being chased through that alleyway._

 _The guard noticed him as he made the mistake of wandering out into the street, searching for others. He should've known better, even at his age. His father told him not to come out from the hidden room, no matter what._

 _But, he was afraid. Afraid of what would happen to his family after being captured. He had to find help. Instead, he bumped into one of their assailants._

 _The man had fancy armor. A royal guard most surely. What was a royal guard doing in their village? What did they want from them? They were all poor, they weren't a threat to the Pharaoh!_

 _Why did they burn down the village?_

 _He ran as fast as he could. He was nimble, but too small to out run a fully-grown adult. He was about to get caught. The alleyway was a dead end. The guard sneered, knowing he had cornered his prey. He didn't know about the small crack in the wall. Large enough for a child, but too small for a man._

 _He made it out. But he was still in danger. There were so many guards around, herding everyone out of their homes. Men, women, even children like him…or worse. Toddlers._

 _In the midst of the chaos, he managed to remain undetected as the rest of the villagers got forced into an underground temple._

 _What were they doing with them?_

 _His parents wanted him to run away, but he had to know. There wasn't anybody left that had escaped the mayhem except him. He had to do something. Anything._

 _He slowly and quietly crept down those stairs to the central room. It used to be a temple dedicated to Isis, but ever since the village fell into abject poverty, the temple was torn down as a sort of petty revenge. Still, the inside altar was standing and the room was spacious._

 _He hid behind a wall and watched as the villagers sat tied up before a large smoldering cauldron. It had some kind of alloy being mixed inside it, about half full. It looked like…gold._

 _He covered his mouth to hold back a scream as he saw a man in a royal outfit give the order to slaughter everyone._

 _One by one, the people were untied, cut to pieces and thrown inside._

 _Friends, neighbors, people he only knew by face and people he knew fully well ever since he was little. Nobody was spared. None of the 99 villagers._

 _His father didn't even resist. He just let them sacrifice him, as if he deserved it._

 _He couldn't breathe. He wanted to go in and help. He had to._

 _His mother's eyes told him to stay put, though._

 _'Run away, Bakura' they pleaded with him._

 _She saw him there, tears streaming down her face as she was forced to her knees. She looked straight at him as the sword struck the nape of her neck._

 _Her eyes were still fixated on him even as her head rolled to the floor._

 _And now, all the guards had noticed him as well._


	15. When he doubted himself

I woke up to the smell of cooking coming from the kitchen. My breath stopped in my throat. Did I forget the stove on last night?

I rushed to the kitchen to find Bakura in his underwear with a frying pan in one hand and a fork in the other.

"Sit down" he ordered behind his back.

I groggily glanced at the clock. It was almost 7 AM. He had drunken himself silly last night and was still up and ready way before me. Not only that, he had worked out how to use the stove, air hood and meat grinder, all in the same morning.

"What are you doing?" I yawned, rubbing my eyes as I checked to see the damage he had done to our equipment.

"Since your cooking is so atrocious I wouldn't feed it to a dying dog to end its suffering, I decided to take over" he stated as he placed part of whatever he was stirring on a plate.

 _That's not true!_

"Dinner last night was fine!" I tried to defend myself.

"A couple of riverbed plants and under-cooked water bugs don't make a meal" he contradicted me sternly. So that's what he understood from that Seafood Takoyaki I made for him.

"Well, Ryou likes it…" my voice trailed off, as if my brother's seal of approval meant anything.

"Does he now?"

Sure he did…even though, thinking about it, he always winced when he placed it in his mouth...and always got full after a few bites…

Was my cooking actually this bad?

I suddenly felt very self-aware.

"Since when does someone like you know how to cook anyway?" I threw it back at him, trying to save the last bit of my honor as a woman.

"Ever since I've had to fend for myself after the age of 6." he shook the fork in his hand, gesturing for me to pipe down and stop contradicting him.

 _He's been alone for that long?_

"By the way, I've unlocked all the rooms you blocked off. Never do that again in my presence, it just makes me want to explore them even more."

He was starting to annoy me. He just did as he pleased in this house…

"I've also taken the liberty of washing my good clothes that you had the gall of throwing away with the trash"

Those rancid things should've _stayed_ in the trash.

"Wait, what were you doing outside?" I frowned.

"You had no real meat in that cold pantry of yours-" he said as he pointed at the fridge "-not to mention a lot of basic ingredients. I can't work with your garbage."

"You went to the store?! What about laying low? If anyone saw you and reported you to the police…" I rambled on, my heart shrinking with fear at the implications. Did he steal this too?

"I dare them to come for me" he narrowed his eyes at me and smirked confidently, making me sigh with resignation.

Just then, another thought crossed my mind.

"Wait, you've already done all of this and it isn't even 7 AM? When did you get up?"

"I didn't sleep"

Impossible, he had all that alcohol and he still stayed up all night?

"Why didn't you?"

"I'm used to not sleeping. It's been like this for many years"

He blew into the food and tasted it. A little more to go.

"How do you function without sleep?" I asked him incredulously.

"I rest while still conscious. It's good enough for my needs." he mused over the idea. "Your beds are quite comfortable, though, very soft. Too bad it doesn't help"

"Why don't you sleep? Is it a condition you have or…?"

"No. I don't want to. It's too risky"

 _Risky how?_

"You need to understand that I live a very dangerous life. It's safer for me when I'm alone then when I have company. My cohorts have been trying to eliminate me ever since I took over the thief gang from their previous leader. I've had multiple assassination attempts on my life and eliminated enough people to make a bridge over the Nile with their bodies. Letting your guard down, especially at night, is a terrible idea. I've learned that the hard way"

 _Scars upon scars…_

"So you plan on never sleeping? Even someone as resilient as you is going to collapse eventually." I pointed out to him, as if it was an unheard-of suggestion.

"I do catch up on sleep from time to time. Usually when I'm somewhere nobody can reach me and if I have a lot of alcohol"

He drank both in the morning and before bed. And now he admitted to drinking alone? It was rather depressing to see that in a man.

"Why do you drink so much?"

"It's the only way I can properly rest"

"Why?"

"You know how if you get too drunk you lose consciousness and just wake up the next morning, not remembering anything for multiple hours? That's what I aim for, but your pathetic excuse for beer isn't cutting it"

I didn't understand why someone would even want that.

"Why would you do that to yourself…"

"I can't sleep well if my mind is active. It gives me nightmares. And when it's not my own mind tormenting me, it's…" he trailed off, thinking if he should tell me this or not.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. You won't understand anyway" he shook his head, dismissing the conversation and turning off the stove.

 _What was he about to say?_

He placed a steaming plate filled to the brim in front of me and gestured for me to eat.

I looked down at the thing and frowned.

"Is this an omelette?"

Even I could cook an omelette.

"It's Mutabbak. It's far better than whatever you just said"

He didn't even know what the word 'omelette' meant and he was still confident that he did a better job.

He sat down and started digging into his own plate like it was going to be his last meal. I took a few minutes to muster up the courage to stick a piece into my mouth. It was…pretty good. It had everything from meat to vegetables, strong seasoning and a dough crust. Rather heavy and spicy, but interesting. Well cooked as well.

How many hours had he been at that stove to make this?

I didn't even have time to finish my thoughts before he was done with his own ration.

"Stop playing with your food and eat already. It's very late" he told me as he swallowed the rest of his meal in one gulp.

 _It's barely past 7 for goodness sake_.

The sun wasn't even fully up.

"Come on, we're burning daylight. Be done by the time I'm dressed" he stated as he got up from his seat and left.

I tried to pick up my pace when he startled me by suddenly peeking back into the kitchen.

"And wash the dishes while you're at it. You can handle at least that, right?"

 _This jerk…_

* * *

Bakura was insistent, that was undeniable.

He walked around, ring in hand as if it were a radar, scouring the streets and open buildings.

We took every bus possible and covered every tourist area of the east side of Domino City. People stared at us, or more exactly at _him_ , but he acted like they didn't exist. I wondered if anyone recognized us from yesterday and I avoided all eye contact in case they suspected me as well.

I didn't know if he was in a hurry in order to save Ryou or if he had ulterior motives. Either way, I didn't tell him anything about Yugi. It just...wasn't the right time. I wanted to know how he planned on getting the items from their owners in the first place before I put someone I knew in danger, especially if that someone was my brother's best friend.

"Well, that was pointless, huh?" I shrugged as we walked home from the bus station. Another day wasted on nothing. I wondered if Ryou was safe, wherever he was.

He didn't listen to me and just walked on ahead. Well, he had warned me earlier that he was going to ignore me if I didn't have anything good to say, but I felt offended that he had been ignoring me for the better part of the entire day.

He was always so grumpy, as if something was nagging him. He mumbled to himself as he picked up the pace.

I was about to call after him when I felt someone grab my arm and drag me away. As a hand covered my mouth to prevent me from screaming I realized that in my newfound confidence, I was walking by that dreaded alleyway that both me and Ryou had been avoiding for the past few months.

* * *

Bakura stopped dead in his tracks as the ring started glowing intensely. A spike raised on its own towards the other side of the street, but he didn't need help seeing him. They were both aware of each other's presence as the other Egyptian man eyed him with a serious tone.

He clenched his fist, heart skipping a beat. He didn't expect to find someone he knew here, let alone one of _them_. He remembered his name from their encounter at the palace.

"Shada…" he growled to himself.

This was _HIS_ world and he wouldn't tolerate these people here.

The ring kept vibrating, as if it was insisting for him to go and retrieve the items the other man was carrying, but he was hesitating.

 _Dammit._

He didn't actually expect to find them in this town.

The whole point of this was to prove they weren't here!

He didn't care about them anymore, he had already achieved his goal! The only reason he even did this was because _they_ wouldn't give him peace. He wanted to prove to _them_ that the items were unreachable.

But now that he found them…he couldn't back down anymore.

Cars passed between them on the busy street, as did people, but they never broke eye contact. It was as if they were all invisible to them as the atmosphere tensed up more and more.

The man slowly raised his arm to point at him. He didn't even fear the Ring the thief was wearing. He was confident it wouldn't be used against him. He had full control of the situation. Not because he had 2 items, but because he knew something the thief didn't.

A car passed between them, blocking him from view.

"You shouldn't be here" the man told him in a grave voice, his stern glare the only thing visible beneath his robes.

Bakura felt his blood boil. He wasn't going to be looked down on by one of the Pharaoh's lap dogs.

He lost his cool and lunged across the street towards him.

The man didn't even flinch as he came closer, dodging cars as he ran.

Another car flashed by.

"Your very existence is an anomaly" the man continued, his voice still calm.

Bakura yelled loudly as he readied himself to jump at him.

"Wake up"

Shada raised his head at him in a defiant way as a car passed right in front of the thief, its horn of warning drowning out his words and leaving behind just the movement of his lips as he formed the sentence.

Bakura was forced to reel back to avoid impact and by the time the car had passed, the man in front of him had already disappeared.

He reached the other side as people stared at him incredulously. Did this crazy foreigner just jump in traffic for no reason?

They didn't even seem to acknowledge the existence of the other person, nor were there any signs left that he had been there in the first place.

Bakura stared at the empty air, trying to compose himself.

He hadn't imagined it. It was definitely him. The one known as Shada had been there. The owner of the Key, and now the Scales as well. How...how did the priest get here? He was supposed to be the only one…

No, no, he had to have misunderstood this. It wasn't possible. This had to have been a descendant of his. It had to. Even if they looked this similar, it was all just a coincidence.

He exhaled deeply.

What was this new Shada trying to tell him earlier?

He tried to recall what the lip movements were.

'Wake up'

 _Wake up from what?_

Was all of this just a prolonged dream he was having?

Was any of this real? Was this entire world just a part of his imagination?

 _Was she also…_

He turned towards her, the seed of doubt now firmly etched into his mind. He wanted to pretend this encounter never happen. His plans were to continue as before. Another fruitless day crossed off the list.

But SHE wasn't there anymore.

"Hey…hey you!" he called out for her. The light turned green but he didn't even notice it as he rushed back. All he noticed was that she was gone.

 _Stop messing with me!_

"Where are you, woman!" he screamed, frustrated. People glared at him as they passed by and continued on with their daily lives.

His mind was now feeding him false information. What if he had imagined her as well?

"Answer me!" he repeated, losing confidence in himself.

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to steady his nerves.

"A-Amane…"

His voice cracked, barely above a whisper.

 _What if…_

But the wails brought him back to his senses. The ghosts that were always by his side showed him the way, floating towards the dark alley he passed by earlier. He grit his teeth and ran after them. They were never wrong and they never lied. And they were never going to let him rest as long as he was still alive.


	16. What his hatred can accomplish

_"You dare challenge ME to a duel? You can't be serious!" the man sized him off confidently, his cohorts' laugh playing as background noise._

 _This was going to be an entertaining show._

 _"You want to make a fool of yourself by chickening out in front of your men?" the boy smirked, standing his ground._

 _The man's smile faded and he raised from his seat._

 _"I took you in when you were in rags, taught you the ways of our kin and now you openly betray me? Well, I can't say that I didn't see it coming. All I've ever heard about people from Kul'Elna was that they were all reprehensible scum. I didn't expect anything different, even from a child"_

 _"NEVER talk ill about my people. This is MY decision and has nothing to do with my heritage. I must also remind you that I never asked for your help in the first place. The reason I'm doing this is simple: after a period of following your commands, I realized that you're unfit for your role. Your decisions are brash and only aim for short-term goals. Your men do not respect you and insult you behind your back. You will not lead this mob anywhere except towards disaster. You will lose control of them eventually."_

 _The kid had a smart mouth to him, but the man was unimpressed._

 _"I have been the indisputable king of this clan for over 10 years. My men are loyal to me and will follow me anywhere, even in death"_

 _"Is that so?" the boy turned towards the people present "-are you willing to do that? If I kill your leader, will you follow suit?"_

 _Nobody answered him, though the entire hideout was buzzing with unintelligible conversation._

 _"Seems like you're not as revered as you think, 'Thief King'" the boy said it as mockingly as possible._

 _The man tried his best to appear calm, but the gnashing of his teeth let out an audible scrunching noise as they scraped against each other._

 _"Very well, if it's a death battle you crave, I'll give you your wish" the man raised his sword and pointed it at him."I'll even give you an advantage: we'll take it to the armory. Choose your weapon, and I will choose mine. The battle isn't over until one of us stops breathing"_

 _"That's fine by me. In fact, it's even better than I expected. You really are easy to rattle, old man" the boy chuckled as he followed him into the room below._

 _The armory was a spacious vault sculpted into solid rock. There was only one entrance that was heavily guarded, as expected of a room that held such dangerous items. The floor was covered in a white rug and gave the room the warmth it needed to be able to stand the chilling desert nights._

 _The thieves backed up against the walls, giving them room and watching the event unfurl. They were placing bets in secrecy and waiting for the carnage to start. Regardless of who was going to win, this would be an exciting change of pace._

 _Even though the age gap was wide, the boy wasn't more than a head shorter than him. He was barely in his teens, but he had a solid enough build and fighting experience to actually pose a threat. This wasn't going to be a one-sided battle._

 _They walked up to the cleared middle area and turned towards the weapons lined up on the wall supports._

 _The King picked up a khopesh sword and the boy settled for a hunting knife. A most foolish decision, considering the length difference. It would require a lot more precision and risk-taking to go in as close as he needed in order to hit the older man._

 _The fight started slowly. They circled each other like lions, neither one daring to make the first move. Eventually, the boy dashed forward as the man's attention faltered for just a moment. It was his chance to make a strike. He didn't expect his weapon to be deflected by the hooked end of the khopesh. So that was why he chose that weapon. It wasn't in order to fight, but in order to disarm him._

 _Clever._

 _He jumped at the older man and rung the sword out of his hand. The fight turned into a brawl as they writhed around like crocodiles on top of the carpet. It was messy and not at all honorable. Cursing, biting, hair being pulled...anything required to get the other to give in._

 _Eventually, the boy got kicked back and he scurried towards the wall, searching for another sword. But the Thief King didn't just stand idly by as he did that._

 _He picked up a scimitar and turned around to find the man looming over him, a large iron mace in his hand. He felt the impact on his face as the sharp spikes dug into his cheek, burying deep as he was lifted off the ground and thrown across the room._

 _He crashed to the floor, his cheek bleeding heavily. A loud cheer erupted from the onlookers as first blood was drawn. It stung, but it wasn't that bad. His right eye had survived the hit and he could still stand his ground._

 _He barely had enough time to get up before he got bludgeoned again, this time in his stomach. He fell to his knee, using the scimitar as support. He raised his head to look at him, his purple eyes ablaze with fury. Blood was dripping into his right eye and it made him difficult to focus his vision._

 _The man walked up to him, breathing heavily. He wasn't as spry as he used to and the fight took a heavy toll on him. He dropped the mace and pulled out his gold-encrusted sword from his belt. He wanted to end this in style._

 _"This fight is over. Nobody...can challenge a King" the man said between breaths and raised his sword._

 _Just then, a strong wind swirled around him. A giant white snake materialized from the ether, as blurry as a breeze, and wrapped itself around him. He traced the snake back to the boy who mustered up all his strength to stand up. The snake was coming out of his heart, like an expression of power._

 _The hatred in the boy's eyes was as paralyzing as the cobra's stare._

 _At that moment, the Thief King realized he had never truly stood a chance._

 _"You...have never shown this Ka to me before…" the man spat blood as the snake tightened its grip, making a cracking sound as ribs gave in to the pressure._

 _"We all have our trump cards, Former King. You not foreseeing something like this is the very reason I wanted to dethrone you" the boy growled, anger still seeping from his every pore._

 _He lifted the scimitar and drove it through the man's heart and out the other end, the snake releasing him to drop to the ground on top of it. The body slowly slid down on the blade, impaling him in a bowing position in front of the boy._

 _The carpet underneath them had turned a crimson red._

 _There was a long bout of silence as the entire room needed time to accept the scene before them. Their leader had been defeated. This boy, barely 13, had eliminated him._

 _He turned towards his audience, the snake creature hissing as it closed in on them._

 _"Let's see what kind of dogs you are. Was your master right? Are you willing to sleep on his grave? Or are you going to pledge your loyalty to me?" he asked, a sinister grin spread across his wounded face._

 _The thieves froze in fear for a few moments until one of the younger ones broke the silence by chanting his name._

 _They all followed suit, chanting and cheering him on for his impressive victory._

 _He basked in the glory, demanding that they raise their voices as they spoke._

 _The entire armory echoed with the name of the new King of Thieves._

 _"Bakura! Bakura! Bakura!"_

* * *

"Bakura!" I screamed, my voice distorted by the hand that was placed on top of my mouth. All that came out was a muffled whimper.

The guy turned me around to look at his face. He looked angry and ruffled, as if he's had having a rough time.

"Where's your prissy-ass brother, bitch?" he growled at me, shaking my head to release some tension.

He removed his hand from my mouth when he realized that I couldn't talk like this.

"I..I don't know…" I answered truthfully. I was somewhat glad that Ryou wasn't here right now so that he wouldn't get caught up in this predicament again. I really…didn't want him to go through this again.

"I'll ask you one more time, _where the hell is he_?!Do you have any idea about the kind of trouble he caused me?" the guy named Tatsuya screamed at me again.

Even though his voice was loud, the back end of the alley was so remote nobody could hear him.

"You talk as if you got the brunt of it" Shinami berated him from the other side.

How many times did they come back here, hoping to surprise us like this?

"You got us expelled, bitch!" Tatsuya shook my face as if he was trying to spoon-feed this information into my head.

"Who's fault was it then?"

How did these two numbskulls even get into Kamigari High?

"Yours! You started this!" Tatsuya insisted stubbornly.

"You could've stopped at any point" I reminded him. "You didn't have to stab Ryou."

It was a miracle he even survived.

"I didn't even try to hit him, he jumped in front of my knife!" he defended himself.

That's right, that knife was aiming for _me_.

"How much time did you spend in jail?" I asked out of curiosity.

"None of your business" he said, taking a switchblade out of his pocket.

Nothing had changed about them.

"And you plan on going back?" I frowned as he threatened me again. My heart was racing like mad but I tried to look as unfazed as I possibly could. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing my fear.

"At least this time, I want to know it happened because of something worthwhile." he sneered at me, knocking me on my back against the pavement.

He didn't have time to stick the blade in before a rock smacked him in the temple and made him lose his balance.

"And here I thought something bad might've happened to you" Bakura chuckled as he walked closer.

How did he find us?

" _You_ -" he turned his gaze towards Shinami and his smile twisted into a menacing snarl "- _Drop it."_

Like I was his property.

He pulled me away from the fray, patting me all over, checking me for wounds.

No, it wasn't that…the way he stared at me with an anxious gaze, it was more like...

" _I'm glad_..." he whispered as he felt he warmth of my cheek with his hand.

…he was checking to see if I was real.

His face softened for just a second as relief overtook him, then his confident expression settled back in.

"Go home right now" he ordered me, releasing his grip.

I got up, but my legs wouldn't carry me. I didn't know if I was too scared to leave or if I was curious about what he planned on doing to them in my absence, but I just backed up against a wall and watched.

The two bullies eyed each other, not understanding what was going on.

"The hell is your problem, dude?" Tatsuya asked, rubbing his sore head as the small dent began bruising over.

"Don't touch my things without my permission" he hissed as he kicked him into the brick wall behind him.

Shinami watched the fight unfurl, picking up the dropped weapon off the ground and backing off.

Tatsuya recovered quickly and took a broken bottle off the ground, flaying it around in front of himself to force the thief to back away. He didn't seem impressed, dodging the attacks effortlessly and landing a blow in response to every missed attack that the bully launched at him. His rings acted as brass knuckles, each blow scratching his opponent harshly as the rings snagged exposed skin on impact.

There wasn't much room to move in, but Bakura made good use of the narrow scenery to execute nimble movements that would've been impossible in an open area. The walls, trashcans and ledges were all useful parkour platforms. I'd never seen someone fight like this.

It was obvious who the victor was going to be at this rate. Shinami joined the fray as a last ditch effort. They didn't stand a chance if they fought separately.

He pulled out the switchblade and made a swipe for Bakura, but he lost sight of him. He didn't realize where he went until the thief released his grip from the fire escape ladder above, landing on top of him and grounding him immediately.

Bakura bent over and picked up the switchblade, opening and closing it with interest.

"A retractable knife…I'm quite pleased with the way this world has improved its weaponry. I'll be keeping this" he smirked, putting it away in his pocket.

"Fuck you" Shinami spat as he got up. His back ached from the blow, but he wasn't staying put.

The thief grinned, his aura flaring with malice. He gestured for them to attack.

"If you still have the spirit, come at me. I want this world to show me something exciting for a change. Now, give it your all!"

I don't know if they picked up the pace as they started hitting him from both sides, or if he just let them get a few punches in to test them.

Eventually, he backed out of their range, holding his sides as his shoulders started shaking.

His voice was barely above a whisper.

"That's it?"

A low sound drifted from deep within his chest, the noise rising as a fit of mad laughter erupted from his throat, his entire body shaking with pleasure as he licked away the blood that dripped down his chin from his broken lip.

"Garbage! You are both such garbage!" he yelled between fits of laughter.

His voice cracked in such a way that it gave the impression an echo. A low wail of a chorus that backed up his screams of joy.

I've heard this echo before, back when we first met…

The air was so chilling, as if he was absorbing the life out of the very atmosphere around him. We all stared at him incredulously. The bullies felt it too. They turned around in circles, as if cornered by something. They were truly frightened.

The background noise was getting louder.

"A complete waste of my time…but still…"

He lifted his arm as if he was holding something lightly to his side as the bullies stared in the same direction.

"You want some?" he chuckled at the empty air like it was going to answer him. The air seemed to waver as if it was a nest of eels swimming around his body, then it spread out to cover the entire alleyway.

The bullies seemed more and more on edge, scurrying backwards until they ran out of room to go.

He turned to glare at them in such a way as if he was ready to tear them apart.

"I'm in a good mood right now. I'll be taking my sweet time with you"

He was smiling, but his face was twisted into a look of pure hatred. It wasn't night yet, but the alley seemed grow darker. Shadows danced on top of his frame in a way that made them seem alive.

I couldn't stand to look at him. This man had so much evil within his heart that it was now seeping out and distorting the world around him.

I curled up in a ball between a trashcan and a stairway as far away from him as possible.

Bakura slowly trudged towards them. The bullies had frozen in place, not even mustering the energy to flee.

His hand went for the closest one, grabbing him by his shirt and smacking him against a wall. He started punching him in the gut repeatedly. He didn't even waver as the teen before him started spitting a worrying amount of blood. If anything, it motivated him to punch him harder. _It just wasn't enough_. He had gone beyond trying to beat him into a pulp and was digging straight for his innards.

 _No more.._

He wasn't even getting tired. Wailing away without pause, each blow making an audible crunch as his adversary's ribs started giving in. He was going to kill him at this rate.

I hugged my knees tightly, as if I felt the pain myself.

 _Please stop…_

His grip loosened just a bit.

The bottle shattered on the back of his skull as Shinami attempted a last ditch effort to knock him out.

He didn't even flinch as a trickle of warm crimson snaked its way down his neck. Instead, he threw the limp body at him, knocking him off his feet. He stomped fiercely on his belly, pinning him to the ground.

Shinami wasn't getting up anymore.

 _That's enough…_

I have never felt more afraid of a person than I did of Bakura right now.

He turned to look at me from the corner of his eye. My trembling form seemed to upset him. His malicious gaze softened just a tad, his grit teeth unclenching to let out a low guttural growl like a beast. He shook with anger as his body visibly relaxed. The smirk returned to his face, his expression still full of sadistic intent.

He turned back towards Shinami and hissed hot air in the bully's face as if he was releasing a demon from deep within. The thief lifted his head to look him in the eye.

"Who...are…" the bully managed, his voice stammering from the pain.

"That's what everyone gets wrong when meeting me-" Bakura stated coyly, cocking his head to the side in amusement "-what matters is not who is doing this to you, but WHY"

He forcibly turned his head around to see my still trembling form in the corner. He picked up the barely conscious Tatsuya with his other arm and forced his eyes open to focus on me as well.

"See, this girl right here, and that boy you hate so much, they're my family. I have an honor to uphold regarding them and their well-being. Thus, I will not tolerate you ever touching them."

He turned them back to look at him as his face turned deadly serious.

"I never, EVER forgive anyone who crosses me. I will make Duat itself spit your writhing souls out in front of me so I can send you back there again as many times as I please."

He meant every word of it.

"Never go near them ever again. I won't be this kind a second time."

I believed him. I believed that this had been him holding back.

He waited on them to register this information and flung them against the ground.

He walked up to me and pulled me up by my arm. He seemed cross with me, but he controlled his emotions as strongly as he could so as to not intimidate me any more than I already was. He jerked me lightly a few times like one would an unruly child.

"For Ra's sake, I can't even leave you alone for one moment…" he berated me then dragged me away from this place.

We walked hand in hand all the way home like I was a toddler. I watched the bullies' crumpled forms wallowing in filth behind my back.

"They won't be bothering us any time soon." he smirked.

He seemed so confident in his words.

"Why do you think that?"

"I tenderized them well enough."

He chuckled wickedly, making my heart skip a beat.

The cold air around him seemed to shift, as if it was being left behind.

I turned around to look at the two teens on the ground. It took a few moments, but they started moaning in pain at something. Nothing was there, yet they squirmed in place, too battered to get up and escape whatever was inconveniencing them. Bakura rung my arm, trying to get me to look away, but I couldn't.

We were already quite far by the time they raised their voices. I could faintly notice their wounds being scraped and licked at, as if the air itself was digging into their flesh. Almost like a pack of scavengers enjoying a carcass.

My knees softened, but Bakura didn't let me fall behind. He dragged me all the way home, laughing to himself as my mind created grim images of what was going to happen to those two we abandoned back there.

That night, I sneaked into Ryou's game room and quietly removed the Yugi figurine from the shelf, burying it in the ground beneath a potted plant on the balcony.

I couldn't ever let him know about Yugi.


	17. When he found his place

_"Let me go!" she cried, squirming to force his arms off of her._

 _He frowned, looking hurt._

 _He hadn't expected that reaction out of her. The more he held on, the more her blood stained him._

 _"Be still. It's going to be alright. I'll save you…" he insisted, pretending he didn't hear her. But he was only fooling himself. She was fading fast. She was going to leave him soon, just like everyone else he ever cared about._

 _She used the last bit of her strength to try to push him away, to no avail._

 _"Get away from me, you monster…" she hissed, the fear in her eyes cutting deep into his heart._

 _He never wanted to hear these words from her of all people._

 _"I hate you…I hate you so much…" she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks._

 _She still struggled to get away, even as she breathed her last. Her fear and resentment bore into him, numbing his heart._

 _He put her down gently and crossed her arms over her gushing stomach wound. He felt spent, like everything he did that day had been in vain._

 _It was the last time he was ever going to let his emotions get the better of him._

 _And so far, he had kept true to his words._

* * *

As morning crept upon me, I was forced to come to terms with the idea that I might have to drop out of college altogether.

It was already Monday and Ryou was still gone.

I'm so glad I had Chisa on my side. For a third time in half a year, I had to rely on her to talk to the principal and teachers for me and explain my situation. Or at least, an understandable version of it.

This time, I didn't know how much time off I needed. We didn't seem to be making any progress towards getting my brother back and I was starting to wonder if me helping this man was a good idea at all.

I don't think even Domino College had the patience with someone like me if I kept leaving for long periods of time like this.

I didn't even know what to make of my current predicament.

I felt afraid of this terrible thief, but at the same time I could afford a lot of bite back with him. His promises of protection and care made me feel more at ease than I should've been. Still, I had to monitor his every move. He was as unpredictable as he was strong.

Most importantly though, what made him truly dangerous was his cunning wit. He had a sharp eye for detail and he adapted to his circumstances with remarkable speed. Even though most of my world was completely foreign to him, in just two days he was fitting in impressively well.

He had a lot more going on behind that feral appearance than he first let on.

I had already grown accustomed to our daily routine of looking for the items. Bakura was early to rise and late to bed, yet still energetic enough to plan out everything.

Today was a little different though.

He was taking his time, sightseeing more than actually searching. He wasn't even looking at his radar anymore as he went about the city, holding my hand firmly all the way.

I was blushing hard. People on the street were probably confusing us for a young couple and giggled as we passed by, but in truth he was afraid that if he released my arm for just a second, I was going to end up being kidnapped again.

It made me feel like dead weight.

Overall, Domino City wasn't that bad. If anything, that repeated attack was because the bullies had a personal problem with me rather than the symptom of a criminal haven.

I briefly wondered what became of those two. I didn't see them on the news or heard anyone talk about it. Either they managed to get away or there was nothing left of them to report.

I shuddered.

"Don't catch a cold"

I jumped as he grabbed my bare arms from behind, rubbing them intensely.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" I shrieked, trying to get him to stop.

Even touching me freaked me out at this point.

"Good. I can't treat you if you fall ill out here so watch yourself."

He really had complete authority over me.

"So, did you find anything?" I asked, trying to act like I was being on point with the investigation.

"No."

Short and stern. Something was bothering him.

"Moreover, I'm hungry" he added, changing the topic instantly.

He ate enough for two people. I was running dry on money with this guy.

"You're going to have to last on homemade cooking. I can't pay for lunch anymore" I said softly.

"That's not a problem." He smiled at me.

 _Oh no…_

* * *

"What do you mean, you won't take it?"

"I'm sorry sir, I can't give you anything in exchange for this. We don't deal in antiques. "

He stared at the pawnshop manager in disbelief.

"You… might want to take your business somewhere else." The man recommended, feeling nervous as the thief stared him down to size.

Bakura made an inaudible grumble to the tune of 'I'll take YOUR business somewhere else', picked up the sapphire-encrusted ring and placed it back on his finger.

"Fine. Where do I find an antiques shop?" he growled, somewhat irritated.

"The closest one that comes to mind is in Diamond District" the shop owner admitted.

"Diamond District, huh?" he asked, taking out the map and asking the man to point it to him.

 _Anywhere but there!_

"Ah, that's too bad…well, we'll have to make do with the bento box I brought" I tried to salvage the situation.

Bakura turned to glare at me like I was trying to convince him to eat dog food.

"We're going to Diamond District"

* * *

 _This is the worst._

Absolute worst neighborhood I could ever bring a person like him.

"Hmm, why didn't you want to come here? This is my kind of place!" he laughed, stretching as we walked around the area searching for the antiques shop we were told about.

If there's ever such a thing as 'the bad side of town' in Domino City, then Diamond District had to be it. Black markets, gambling, prostitution…this was the place for it.

 _Of course he loved it._

He fit in here better than the regular part of town, that's for sure.

Shady people as far as the eye can see. Many glanced our way as we passed by, leering at me. It made me feel uncomfortable. I pulled in closer and grabbed my travel companion's arm firmly.

"This one looks good" he mused as he took a long glance through the barred windows.

I read the name of the store he was interested in and gulped hard.

"The sign says ' _closed_ '. Let's just keep going" I tried.

"You should tell them to turn off the lights and block their doors then" he gave me a sly smile as he grabbed the handle and pulled the door open in a way that was meant to prove me wrong.

The clerk put down his bingo chart as he heard the small bell above the door chime as we walked in.

"Takeru's Weapons shop! What can I help you with, my friend?" he asked Bakura as we reached the counter.

I was just an accessory.

"I'm interested in something small and concealable. What have you got?"

"Ah, well, we can fit you right up with a nice handgun. The models we have in stock are on this wall right here" the clerk showed him around like it was a candy shop.

I trembled in fear at the idea of this guy getting a hold of a loaded gun.

He picked up one of them and examined it thoroughly.

"So this is what that guard was holding. Hmm, it's somewhat heavier than I imagined. Don't mind my saying, but how does it work?"

"You've never seen a gun before?" the clerk asked incredulously.

 _Bakura really did look like a typical hoodlum, didn't he…_

"Believe it or not, where I come from, we don't have this kind of weaponry. It's a rather peaceful and remote area, you see."

 _Lying with a straight face._

"Must be nice, a place with no fear of guns..." the man rubbed his chin, nodding in approval.

"That's why I was interested in it in the first place. I'd love it if you could enlighten me on its usage"

Such false niceness, it made me sick to my stomach.

"Well, imagine a slingshot, but when you pull the equivalent of the band down here-" the clerk put his index finger on the trigger for emphasis "-the ball shoots out at incredible speed, piercing everything in sight."

Bakura nodded in approval.

"So many good things happened in my absence…I'm truly jealous of everyone that's had this at their disposal their entire lives" he shook his head, a wide smirk spread across his face.

"This one can be hung from your belt loop as well" the man pulled out a short gun from a case beneath the counter.

"I'll take it" Bakura smiled, picking it up.

"Ah, no, I don't think we really need one" I flayed my arms in front of him, sweating profusely.

"On second thought, make that three"

 _Stop doing things just to spite me!_

The store clerk beamed happily underneath his mustache. A fine deal it was.

"Certainly my friend. That'll be 66.000 yen"

…

"And stay out, you freeloaders!" the man yelled as he slammed the door in our faces.

I breathed a sigh of relief as Bakura decided not to confront him about his attitude.

"I told you we couldn't afford anything" I wagged my finger at him as if I was in the right, pretending I wasn't worried about him getting a gun in the first place.

"You know, I could just rob this place blind" he retorted in a most serious tone.

He snickered as I turned pale before him.

"It'd be a bad idea to attract the attention of police in this district…a-and even if it's not police, there are lots of dangerous people armed to the teeth...if you cause a scene, we'll be killed immediately!" I stammered, trying to bring some sense into him.

"Oh, is that so? Is a gun's ball faster than magic? I'd really love to find out" he grinned, sounding excited by the prospect of a standoff.

"Please…let's just avoid getting in harm's way…"

I really didn't know what to say anymore to convince him to drop this terrible idea of his.

He patted my back forcefully to get me moving.

"You're right. While I can handle myself, I can't guarantee YOUR safety in a situation like that. Alright, guess we'll have to made do. Let's just eat for now" he shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets and going on ahead.

We walked down the street until he grabbed my shoulder to stop me in place.

"This'll do"

I looked up. _'Madame Primaverre's Villa'_. I've heard of this restaurant before. It was expensive as hell.

"We don't have the money for this place either" I insisted. Why couldn't he just settle for the bento I made?

"No problem, we can dine on a tab" he insisted as he made his way towards the entrance.

"That's not how restaurants work!" I cried, exasperated.

"It'll be fine. Just follow me"

I sighed deeply and went along with him.

"Now, remember, attitude is key" he said, turning his head to have me take a good look at him as he schooled me.

He didn't even watch the door as he bumped into a guy that was leaving the place.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, foreigner!" The guy yelled at him as he straightened his newly wrinkled suit.

Bakura stopped next to him, turned around on his heel and made a friendly gesture I couldn't identify as he entered the restaurant.

The guy looked at him in confusion as I tried my best to apologize for him.

By the time I was done apologizing and headed inside, Bakura was already talking to the seating staff about getting us a table.

"What kept you? Let's go" he gestured for me to follow them to our table around the back.

I looked around. This place was too fancy for my casual attire. The building was decorated in a pseudo-Victorian style with gold-leaf pillars and painted spring garden ceiling, blue marble floors and sculpted cedar wood tables.

This restaurant had to be a gangster meet-up place to be this exclusive in a district like Diamond.

 _We really, really shouldn't be here._

I didn't even have time to sit down before he called the waiter and placed my order for me.

"Get me the finest game meat dishes you have and the oldest wine in the house"

The waiter smiled as he wrote down his notes and left.

I dropped like a rock, scooted closer to him on the leather couch and whispered in his ear.

"You mad? We can't afford this!"

"Of course we can. Didn't I say so earlier?" he smirked at me as he pulled a thick wallet from his pocket, waving it in my face before putting it back.

"Where…" my voice trailed.

"The nice guy we befriended earlier is going to treat us" he explained.

 _So that's why he ran into him…_

I didn't even see his hands move as he robbed him.

"We'll be in big trouble once he notices..." I whispered, trying to act like nothing happened, but my eyes were darting around at the other tables nervously.

"I'm not worried. You're pretty good with apologies"

I fumed the entire time I ate my roast.

I felt relieved that the guy didn't come back at all.

Hopefully he wouldn't check for his wallet until we were out of this district.

"Alright, now that we got lunch out of the way, let's get down to business" he proposed, cracking his neck like he was about to operate heavy machinery.

 _What business?_

"What are you even talking about…"

"We need to earn some money, right" he reminded me of our predicament, taking out the last of the money and throwing the wallet in a trash bin.

"How do you plan on doing that?"

"The only logical way, of course."


	18. What games he plays

_'Rich Man's Path' Casino._

Why was I not surprised.

The building was huge. Every deadbeat and criminal in Domino City probably came here at least once. They had everything from Poker games and Blackjack to Go tables and Pachinko machines.

"Let's start the fun" he grinned, pulling my hand towards the largest crowd in the middle of the main room.

"Do you even know how to play?" I managed, trying my best to restrain him.

"Not at all" he answered serenely as he worked his way up to the table to see what everyone was interested in.

 _Roulette._

The most popular game in any casino.

He stared at the wheel and players intently, studying the game for a solid 10 minutes before stepping up.

"Care to join, good sir?" a hostess girl in a tight maid outfit and a miniskirt walked up to him and stroked his chin seductively.

He smiled back at her and grabbed her hand tightly, forcefully removing it from his face.

"Since you asked me nicely" he replied in a matching tone, pushing her away and settling before the table with the other gamblers.

"Ah, sir, I noticed you're interested in playing." the croupier gestured for him to place his bet as he prepared the wheel.

I felt uneasy. I didn't trust his ability to control himself and his spending in an environment like this. We would've been better off with just the money we had left and waited for dad to send me the monthly allowance.

"Very much so. This looks amusing. But in all honesty-" he walked up to the croupier and picked up the ball from the pocket it was settled in "-it's my first time playing this game"

I clenched my teeth as everyone stared in shock at his lack of social awareness. The croupier waited quietly for a couple of moments as he studied the ball with intent, turning it around in his fingers as if he weighed it.

"It'll be my pleasure to explain the rules to you, good sir, but may I remind you that you're not allowed to touch the ball"

The man was sweating as a couple of guards walked up to the table, anticipating an incident.

"Oh, of course. I understand" Bakura replied calmly as he placed the ball back in its slot and headed toward the betting table.

"First off, you exchange money for chips at the cashier. Once finished, you place your chips on the results you think are going to come up as the ball lands on a number ranging from 0 to 36 on the wheel. You can bet on multiple results including a straight line, first four or corner if you're the kind to play safe or bet on the number directly if you fell bold." the man explained to him, pointing at the squares he could choose.

"Beautiful way of putting it. I'm quite the daring kind myself-" Bakura smiled back as he gestured for me to go exchange all the money he had on him. I reluctantly did as instructed.

"-so I'm going to go all in." he continued when I came back, placing all the chips on the table for emphasis.

All the other participants turned to him. He had a flair for spectacles.

The dealer smiled back at his cockiness. He wanted to see him lose just to watch the guy get taken down a notch.

"Excellent choice. So what number is the good sir going to bet on?"

He said ' _good sir'_ in such a condescending tone, as if he was dealing with a country bumpkin. I didn't know if Bakura didn't notice or if he was just playing along by being as civil as he was.

Bakura seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments, deciding on what to pick. The area went completely silent as he became the center of attention. Everyone wanted to see if his declaration was going to pay off or if he was going to royally embarrass himself in front of a crowd.

"I'll go with…23" he stated, the smile never leaving his lips.

"Is that your final decision, sir" the man asked him again as he spun the wheel.

Bakura placed all the chips on the betting area to prove he was being serious. It was still a hefty sum. Nobody dared to follow his example and went with safer bets, in case he was going to fail.

People around him stared at the wheel anxiously, as did I. The croupier threw the ball inside once the wheel was at full speed. The ball danced around lively. Everyone felt nervous tension as the wheel started to slow down and I could hear a pin drop in the room as the ball rotated around slower and slower. Everyone was scared except for him. He stared at the wheel with intent, as if it was going to do exactly as he predicted.

Which it did.

"23!" the croupier yelled out with an expression just as shocked as all the other players.

"Oh my, this is amazing!" a well dressed lady by his side exclaimed in surprise as he was handed a huge amount of chips.

"I have very good intuition when it comes to games of chance" he explained as everyone gathered around him like a celebrity.

He gestured for the croupier to snap out of his shock and keep the game going.

"Let's raise the stakes." he declared with even more confidence as he put all the chips he just earned on 12.

"The number 12, good sir?" the croupier asked him as he watched him drag all the money he just earned on top of said table square.

"Indeed" he smirked.

The table was shrouded in silence once more as all the other players wanted to see how far the newcomer's luck would take him.

Nobody except the lady from before bet on the same number as him. They still didn't trust his 'intuition' enough to follow his lead.

I frowned. It was probably a better idea for him to quit while he was ahead.

"12".

The croupier didn't sound as enthusiastic anymore, but the crowd turned ecstatic.

This was an incredible lucky streak that none of them had ever seen before.

He suddenly became the life of the party. Men were treating him and women coaxed him, all in an effort to get the results for the next big win. People gathered from other games to watch him in action. Laughter and alcohol abounded.

He was enjoying the atmosphere to the fullest.

They followed his every move as he placed the next bet.

"You sure, darling?" the woman from before asked, still a bit worried about the possibility of him losing.

"Read the number for me, sweet one" he smiled charmingly as he snatched her up by her waist and reeled her in for a close embrace.

She seemed taken aback by his boldness but she complied, resting her head on his shoulder.

"29" she said softly.

I noticed the corner of his eye immediately turn towards me and I nodded in approval. He didn't want to be lied to.

"29 it is then" he confirmed, rubbing her cheek softly with the back of his index finger as he gestured for the dealer to get on with it. All the players followed suit and bet on the same number.

He was right once again.

The dealer was losing his patience with him. This was quite fishy. He had to be cheating. Nobody, even if they were exceptionally lucky, would be this relaxed when placing a bet of any kind. He had to have messed with the ball earlier.

The man called a security guard over and whispered something in his ear. The guard nodded and left the area.

Something was wrong. We needed to go.

I pushed my way through the crowd to reach him and pulled his sleeve.

"Hey, Ba-"

 _No, I shouldn't say his name in public, I'll only make things worse_.

"-I think we've had enough excitement for one day. Let's cash it in and leave".

My head snapped towards the dealer, hoping he'd take my hint.

He smirked knowingly at me. He must've noticed it too.

"Why should we? The fun's only getting started…"

He turned his gaze over his shoulder to stare down the croupier.

„..right?"

The man was trying his best to keep his composure, but a swelled vein on the side of his temple was giving him away.

 _For goodness's sake!_

He suddenly relaxed and smirked back.

"Of course."

He dropped the ball on the ground and pushed it away with his foot.

The guests watched the ball roll away in stunned silence. _What's going on?_

"Don't worry, my dear participants! We always keep a spare!" the croupier played them as he pulled another ball out of his pocket for emphasis. His look was one of a shark that had cornered his prey.

"Want to keep the game going? It'd be the first time someone achieved 4 wins in a row"

Bakura seemed to sport the same expression. Was he waiting for this?

"Interesting. I'd love to be the one to break your records."

The croupier frowned. The foreigner was still cocky even after losing his advantage.

Bakura slammed his hand on the table hard enough to make the chips rattle.

"Let's make it grand! If I win, I get to name my prize. It doesn't have to be money! What do you say?" he pointed his hand at the man in a demanding way.

The croupier was losing his confidence. This guy was far too sure of himself, even now.

"I'd like to remind you sir that we only offer casino-related prizes as per the lists pinned next to the cashier"

"That's alright. I had something of that sort in mind anyway"

The croupier turned around for a moment and put his hand to his ear piece. He grumbled something almost inaudible about cameras and then turned back, looking visibly relaxed.

"Very well sir. Choose your number."

Bakura gestured for the lady next to him to place the bet for him.

"Put everything down on whatever number you'd like"

A wave of gasps as everyone stared at him. There was no way anyone could be this lucky.

To make the scene even more exciting, Bakura even turned around and didn't bother looking at the table.

"I'll prove to you that I can't lose even though you rigged the game from the very beginning" he told the croupier, making him sweat bullets in front of all the participants.

Was this true or was he just trying to get under his skin?

Either way, it was working since the man was rattled like never before.

"Quite the funny accusation, ' _good sir'_ …we'll just prove it wrong. Will this number be…your final choice?"

He could barely speak through his grit teeth.

Bakura looked at me.

"It's 0." I said in a grave tone. "The lowest odds of winning."

"Perfect." He grinned wickedly and gestured for the game to go on.

The ball jumped around for what felt like ages. The wheel didn't want to stop, turning and turning. Even when it felt like it was done, like the ball had settled in place, it moved ever so slightly. It kept going until it finally hit it.

"0!"

The dealer didn't even want to call it, but the players around us called it for him, barely containing their excitement.

The dealer put his hand to his ear again. He listened in for a few moments, but his grim expression told me that he wasn't hearing what he wanted to.

"I'll name my prize now." Bakura smiled, raising his index in the air and drawing all attention to it.

"In order to celebrate this momentous occasion, the House will treat all of its guests to the drinks of their choice."

Cheer erupted from everyone present. He had won the favor of all the players.

There had to be at least 200 people in this place, all of them well versed in the field of refined and expensive beverages. His demand was a financial black hole.

"Sir, this is too much" the dealer tried to weasel his way out of the deal.

"From what I understand, alcohol is a part of the Casino's basic offerings and exchanges." Bakura insisted as the people backed him up and turned to the dealer to keep his promise.

I then understood why he phrased it like that. He had involved everyone in the Casino in order to win them over as his allies. He used peer pressure to get his way, as the guards couldn't possibly keep this many people at bay if they decided to riot. The dealer had no real way of saying "no" to him and he didn't even have to truly get involved.

 _He really knows how to manipulate on a large scale._

The dealer sighed, defeated. He was probably going to lose his job for this, but he couldn't get any proof of him cheating. Even after changing the ball, even after using magnetic force on the wheel's grooves to try to get the ball the land in a certain spot, the thief still got his way.

Maybe he really was blessed by the God of Luck.

The dealer rubbed his face in frustration. Why did this guy have to show up on his shift?

"Don't quit now. We need to keep playing, right?" Bakura smiled at him, surrounded by a cheering crowd.

I stared at him, eyes wide.

 _You STILL not done?_

…

 _How many hours had we wasted already?_

They milked the place dry. All the players in the Casino had joined the Roulette table, betting on whatever he did and won every time. The crowd had pushed me away to the side as they crammed in to try to get a chance at the game. Everyone followed the lucky foreigner's every word like he was their king. Maybe that's why he used that title in public. He made people his underlings wherever he went.

And he was having a great time doing it.

All the women, including the hostesses, were trying to gain his sympathy...and part of his prize money. They offered him alcohol and treats, hoping to get him drunk enough to make emotional decisions. He looked so pleased with them rubbing against him, like it was normal to do so.

It was nauseating to behold.

He acted all suave and charming, as if he was a true ladies man.

 _Who was this jerk even fooling?_

He drew all of their attention to him, telling tall tales and making them laugh at his jokes while they served his drinks in increasingly sensual ways. A hostess dipped her fingers in a cocktail glass and traced his lips gingerly as he ran his tongue over them suggestively. I couldn't believe he was falling for such transparent seduction attempts. I guess, he wasn't as smart as he claimed to be.

I crossed my arms and fumed by the wayside, waiting for him to finally snap out of their spell.

"Oooh, I've never seen anyone like you around here" a busty blonde giggled as she hugged him in a deep embrace.

"And I assure you, you never will again" he replied, pulling her bare leg up his hip.

 _Wenches._

"You're nothing like these boring old Japanese men! Where are you from, handsome?" a different but similarly-looking blonde traced his abs hotly from the other side.

He kissed her on the lips deep enough to make the other girl squeal in jealousy.

That pig.

 _Both of you disgust me._

"Egypt" he answered after slowly breaking away from her plump lips, rubbing his thumb over them to clean up the leftover saliva.

"Ooh, where's _that_?" the first one giggled again, pressing her chest up against his.

"North Africa"

His answers were as punctual as a school quiz.

"Ooh, I've heard of that place before! So exotic!" the second one chimed in as if she was actually interested.

 _You harpies have more brains in your fake breasts than in your head!_

I sighed in disappointment. What was he even thinking, getting himself in a situation like this?

"How about I show you more…in private?" he smiled at the blondes in a luscious tone as he made a gesture for them to follow him to the VIP lounge.

 _Oh, no, that's it! I'm done!_

I stormed my way through the crowd and pulled the women off of him like the parasites that they were.

"We're leaving!"

"Not yet" he insisted. He looked flustered. Far too many drinks, even for him.

"Yes, now!" I raised my voice.

 _Either hit me or listen to me, but I'm not backing down._

I didn't know what his decision was going to be as we got interrupted by a voice from down the hall.

"Hold it right there, you bastard!"

I froze. It was the guy from the restaurant. He had found us.

How long did he search for us?

"Hey…you're the criminal that was on the news, aren't you?" the guy pointed at the thief upon realizing where he'd seen his face before. He smirked, realizing he could turn him in.

I went pale and my knees wobbled. Security was on high alert as well, expecting things to get ugly.

We might get arrested for this…

Bakura wasn't at all impressed. If anything, he seemed annoyed that we were breaking up his setup with the blondes from earlier.

"You really think you can get away with it, asshole?" the guy pointed in his face. He was as angry as could be. "give me back what you owe me right now!"

Everyone stared at Bakura, waiting for an explanation.

Instead, he chuckled lightly.

"Of course. Of course. You're right-"

He threw his arm over the guy's shoulder like they were buddies and pulled him aside.

"-But since we're here, how about I make this even better. Let's play a game. If you win, you get all the money this place owns. If I win, you never bother us again"

The man frowned at him but noticed all the chips he had. Maybe the thief wasn't just lying about it.

"You're giving me back my money whether I win or lose. It's all for the bonuses" the guy insisted.

Surprisingly, Bakura agreed to his terms. It sounded like a net loss to me.

"Name the game" the thief invited him. So far, he had only played Roulette. I doubted he had time to learn new rules fast enough.

He was really piling up the stakes against himself.

"Blackjack then. It'll be quick" the guy stated. He looked worried about being swindled again.

They sat down at the table as the woman served them their cards.

"The one closest to 21 wins" she announced the only rule that mattered.

"You'll regret messing with the Domino Mafia. My father will bury you alive" the guy said as he picked up his cards.

Bakura didn't even look at his.

"Let's make this fun" he snickered as the ring shone around his neck.

I must've been growing more aware of his magic, being the only one to notice the darkening atmosphere and the sudden shift in temperature.

Well, the only one besides the guy playing with him. He rubbed his shoulders nervously as he asked for another card.

The woman turned to the thief. He seemed to be concentrating.

"Want to raise the stakes even more? What more do you want to win?" Bakura turned to his adversary, eyes shining with malicious intent.

The guy was taken aback by his expression, but swallowed hard and insisted.

"Everything you own."

"Very well, I'll play everything. I expect you to do the same" Bakura agreed, taking off all the jewels he had on him sans the Millennium Ring and personally placing them in the female dealer's hands.

She made a nervous face as she added them to the chips pile. She picked up the cards, waiting for his answer.

"Hit me" Bakura stated confidently as the woman obliged.

He didn't even know what cards he had. No, even if he did, he couldn't tell. That's why he kept making others read the numbers for him.

 _How did he even plan on winning like this?_

The atmosphere turned pitch black as the wails returned. I already felt my blood freeze in my veins at the very sound of it.

 _Why wasn't anybody else reacting? Why didn't they hear it?_

I could barely make out the table anymore, it was so dark.

The guy was frightened. He must be aware of it too.

"I'm done" he announced gathering his nerves "20".

Extremely good result.

Bakura turned over his cards and showed them to him.

"I win! HAHAHA! I WIN!" The guy jumped out of his seat in excitement, congratulating himself.

"Good sir..." the woman tried her best to calm him down.

 _No…_

The thief chuckled in a low, malicious tone. The wails seemed to laugh with him.

 _It's wrong._

"Now hand me the money you promised earlier! All of it!" the guy all but screamed in satisfaction.

People were whispering among themselves. The guy…couldn't he see it? Couldn't he tell? Everyone else who had watched the game already knew.

Or maybe…he wasn't allowed to?

"Sure. I'll give you what you deserve" the thief laughed, his voice rising as he stood up from the table.

 _Bakura had 21._

"The Punishment game begins"

The ring shone brightly in their pocket universe, none of the light reaching beyond the isolated table.

The guy looked like he was in a trance. He jumped on top of the table, flaying his arms around like he was catching imaginary banknotes and laughing to himself in pure joy.

The atmosphere lessened but he was still out of it, pretending to be rich on air alone.

"Sir?" the lady dealer tried to get him back to his senses.

"I guess money does bring happiness" Bakura declared, putting his rings back on his fingers and coming back towards the puzzled crowd waiting for him by the Roulette table.

"On that note, I'd like to share my happiness with everyone" he stated, grabbing as many chips as he could at the same time.

"Here!" he drew attention to himself as he thew the chips in the air, scattering them everywhere.

The greedy people scrambled to gather them. Each one was worth a good few yen. The chaos and inevitable infighting forced the guards to intervene, and soon enough the staff as well.

"Now we can go" Bakura told me as he made his quick exit. I didn't need to be told twice and I ran after him as fast as I could.

The crazy guy as well as the incredibly lucky foreigner were soon a thing of the past in the Casino player's memories.

* * *

We were broke again.

"What a phenomenal waste of time" I sighed as we walked down the alley. It was already dark and we were back to square one.

"I think it went rather well" Bakura declared, pulling out a wad of cash out of his pocket.

 _When did he find the time to get all of it?_

"I don't like it when people get too close to me. They deserve to learn that the hard way" he declared, putting the money back.

 _He just…robbed everyone in the Casino…_

He hadn't learned a damn thing.

 _But still.._

"You were incredibly lucky back there, you know! What if you lost?" I berated him.

"There's no such thing as _'luck'_ " Bakura shot back.

 _What?_

"That's impossible...how did you win all those games then?"

He frowned at me like I was an idiot.

"Learn to pay attention. I already told you how on the first day we met."

I was confused.

He lifted the ring to my face. Did he mean...?

"I can manipulate souls" he explained to me, noticing I still wasn't putting two and two together.

"But you weren't manipulating anyone back there, right?"

Nobody seemed to be affected before he ended the Blackjack game.

"I can work with any soul, even my own-"

My eyes widened.

"-I just need a vessel. Any object will do."

So that's what happened to the park patrol on Saturday…the...pebble…

 _That man was doomed._

"Why do you think I took the ball in my hand?" he smirked confidently.

"So then...everything…" I stammered, my voice faltering.

"The ball, the table, the rings I handed the card dealer and in turn, the cards she touched after…it was all part of MY game"

 _He cheated the entire time._

"You...tore away parts of your soul...isn't that dangerous?" I realized, worry spreading through me as I analyzed the implications of it all.

"Not really. The pieces I used were insignificant compared to my Ba. I didn't even feel it. They did as instructed and I recovered them once they finished their job"

He had the entire situation under control from the very start.

 _No, not entirely…_

"How did you guess how many cards you still needed to win at that Blackjack game?"

He never looked at his cards. How did he draw the winner?

"Ah, that one. I just trusted my luck" he chuckled, shrugging his shoulders at me nonchalantly as I froze in shock.

"You…you could've lost your life!" I shrieked at his declaration.

He turned to me, the twisted grin on his face complimenting the feral shine in his purple eyes.

"There's nothing to gain if you're not willing to risk an equal amount"


	19. What love did to him

"If we take a right at the next intersection we'll make it to a bus station in about 15 minutes or so" I stated, looking at the map.

It was getting late. We might have to hurry to catch the last bus home. The nights were getting colder and colder and I didn't have a jacket with me. Not to mention that we were stuck in the worst possible neighborhood at this hour. I really didn't want to be here anymore.

"Alright. You go on ahead. I'll catch up to you on the way"

I turned to stare at him incredulously.

"Why?"

"I have something to take care of"

"Oh no, I'm not walking these streets alone at night! We're going together."

Whatever he was planning on doing, he had to include me in his plans.

…

The more I thought about it, the more my skin crawled.

" _Why_ are we in the Red Light district?" I asked, the unease obvious even in my tone.

I let him take the lead, but this wasn't where I expected him to go at all.

"Take a guess" he smiled as he inspected the shops.

Nighttime was the point when things started getting lively around these parts. He knew that too.

"It's your fault for ruining my catch back at the casino, you know. You have no right to complain" he shifted the blame on me.

"W-wha?" my face was red in both shame and anger. _How dare he!_ "Who even cares about that?"

" _I do_ and very much so! Might I remind you that I've been wandering the desert with only a camel by my side for the past month or so. This was especially hard on me considering that I don't usually go for more than 2 days without sex. It's been a very long time since I've been put in such an unreasonable situation."

 _That was his reason for it?_

"Well, why were you lost in the desert in the first place?"

"One of my cohorts tried to rob me of my position as leader on our way to the Royal Palace. He and a few others intentionally led me down the wrong path and tried to kill me in a remote area off-road. They paid for it dearly, but I was already too far off course to get to my destination anymore. I was forced to take the long way back. It cost me an extra 2 weeks in the middle of nowhere with few resources and my personal frustrations mounting up."

"So what did you do?"

"I did what any sane man with pent-up urges and a camel as the only companion in the hot desert sun would do"

"Ewww…" I scrunched my face in pure disgust like I was forced to swallow a lemon.

 _That poor thing._

"The fuck are you looking at me like that, woman? I jerked off and cooked the camel meat. I'll have you know, I abide by a very strict rule of not sticking my dick in the same creature I plan on eating"

It didn't make the situation much better even after he explained himself.

"But you can't just sleep around! You shouldn't be with someone you don't love…" I tried to appeal to him, repeating what Ryou used to say to me whenever I asked him about his personal life.

"Your perspective on human relationships is childish. Your society is puritan and dull and has made you the same way. I won't conform to it by constantly restraining myself and denying my basic needs and desires"

 _They were so different..._

Ryou was extremely bashful and introverted. Even though he was surrounded by girls ever since middle school, I've never even seen him hold hands with any of them. It wasn't that he didn't like girls, but rather, the way he acted, it was as if he wasn't _allowed_ to be with them. Ryou was like a living doll, emotionally hollow and completely disinterested in anything carnal. Talking to Bakura reminded me that most guys weren't like my brother at all.

"Sex with random people isn't any better than not having any at all" I insisted.

"What in Ra's name do YOU know? You haven't even touched a man in your life" the thief bit back. He was losing his patience with me.

I blushed hard.

"That's not true! I had a boyfriend before!"

 _Once…a long time ago..._

"You've never lived in the real world. If you did, you'd realize how insignificant 'love' really is in the grand scheme of things. Humans get together for sensuous reasons. 'Love' is nothing more than an excuse to justify their actions."

"That's because you've never loved before" I frowned, looking away from him.

He glared daggers at me.

"I have been sexually active ever since I was old enough to understand what it meant. I've pleasured more women than I've been willing to keep track of. I understand how your kind better than you can imagine. You talk about 'love' like its an absolute thing but you don't truly feel it yourself. It's all a lie meant to convince a man to stay by your side even after you have revealed your true nature to him. Nothing but a weapon meant to subdue the foolish and to get him to do your bidding."

Did he get cheated on to have such an extreme perspective on things?

"You don't have to follow me around like this. You can wait at the bus stop for me." he said in a low tone, stopping in front of one of the lit brothels.

After holding my hand for the better half of the day he was just telling me to go away? How could he be so moody?

It was probably the alcohol. He was used to beer, but I'm certain he'd never experienced whisky and other strong drinks before. Especially not this much in one go. He wasn't thinking straight anymore.

I couldn't just leave him by himself in his condition.

"I'm not going anywhere. You're making a mistake right now!" I insisted.

 _But it wasn't just that._

"Spare me, woman! You have no idea how much I've been holding it in for the past few days! My body is aching for release!"

 _It felt more like…_

"Learn to control yourself, you animal!"

 _I had to stop him._

He grabbed my shirt and rattled me hard as he spoke.

"Did you forget our agreement? If you plan on standing in my way I WILL get rid of you! I couldn't care less if you're part of my bloodline!"

 _Because if I didn't, we'd both regret this for the rest of our lives._

I bit my lip, tears welling in my eyes. I tried to hold my ground, but I was truly afraid of him.

He weighed me up and down, his expression still one of spite and frustration. He was judging me. I looked away, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of winning through intimidation.

He released his grip and turned to enter the building without another word. This argument was over.

I waited for him to be out of earshot.

"Fine! If this is how you're gonna act, just go hump everything in sight! See if I care! You…SAVAGE!"

I was braver when there wasn't a possibility of retaliation coming my way.

I left for the bus station, holding myself steady to try to calm myself down.

I had almost forgotten the reason I even put up with his behavior.

It was all in order to get Ryou back.

And he was avoiding it on purpose.

He was just a broke, homeless criminal who was taking advantage of my hospitality and good will. I should just forget about his stupid plan and try to find a way to fix my own problems.

I cried all the way to the bus stop.

* * *

I waited for almost 20 minutes on that bench. I think I already missed the last one. Truth be told though, I was happier being alone here than having one of the many dangerous residents of this area interact with me on the streets. Yes, it was best if nobody ever came at all.

That was why I was upset when he just showed up before me.

"You done already?" I asked him, trying to sound amused by his quickness.

He looked flustered, but I was hoping it wasn't because of my joke. He gazed at me with a long face.

"No"

I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for a more detailed explanation.

"I couldn't."

"Couldn't _what_?"

"I couldn't go through with it."

Was he telling the truth right now?

"Even though she had undressed in front of me seductively. Even though she did everything possible to get me in the mood. I couldn't get excited at all"

A smile threatened to tug at my lips but I held it in. He might really hurt me if I laughed at his predicament.

He sat down next to me, placing his head in his hands as he sighed deeply.

"This has never happened to me before. I don't even know what's going on-"

He seemed genuinely disheartened by it.

"-actually I do." he continued "It's all your fault"

There he went with the blame again. I almost felt sympathy for him for a moment.

"Why?"

"This stupid talk we had earlier reminded me of her"

 _Her?_

"Who are you talking about?"

"You asked me if I ever loved someone…I did."

I scooted a little closer, wanting to hear his tale. I never thought someone like him could ever love another human being, let alone admit it.

"It happened a while ago. I was just past my 12th birthday when I met her. I had come back from a mission with the gang I'm currently leading when I saw her on the street that night. Unlike me, she was a fully-grown adult and she had the most beautiful body I'd ever laid eyes on. I instantly fell for her. Thinking back on it, it was probably my fledgling state that led to my desires, but I truly wanted to be with her in every way possible. I broke away from the group without saying a word, but I think they understood what I wanted to do and just let me go with a snicker."

I realized this was what he was talking about when he lectured me.

"I was still naïve at the time. I didn't realize at first that she was a prostitute. Her entire purpose was to be seducing. But I didn't care either way. I was in love"

I frowned. It sounded like a one-sided relationship.

"She rejected me at first, especially since I didn't keep any of the day's earnings and was completely broke. I didn't give up, trying my best to convince her to take me in regardless. Luckily for me, she happened to have a slow night and she eventually took pity on me but only on the condition that I'd leave immediately after we were done. In my daze I didn't mind her terms. I was certain that I could win her over once she understood how much she meant to me. In my mind, I imagined us together for the rest of eternity, a happy couple in our old age with a large family and fulfilled expectations. I didn't want to accept that she only saw me as a client."

I didn't know what to say to this so I just listened on.

"That night, she took me to her workroom. It was completely barren except for a blanket on the floor and a chair in the corner. It didn't matter. To me, it might as well have been a palace. I had experienced arousal before, but I had never truly touched a woman before. I wanted her to be my first and begged her to take my virginity. At first she laughed at me, as if I was joking, but I insisted until she caved in. To her, I was still a child. She was taller than me and far more experienced and I struggled to satisfy her the best I could. I wanted to show her I was worth it. She dominated the entire thing, teaching me so many things I never even thought possible until that day. I followed her lead as she made it the most beautiful experience of my life"

He shuddered as he said that, clutching his chest as his shoulders shook upon the remembrance of that moment.

"We were at it for many hours. I fell next to her on the blanket, completely spent. We were both exhausted. I repeated my love for her for what felt like the umpteenth time that night before kissing her lips and closing my eyes for good. I didn't even realize that I had fallen asleep in her arms until the morning rays stung my eyelids"

He frowned and that made me worry.

"I woke up to the sounds of a quarrel. Her overseer had come by and found me there. Worst of all, he discovered I didn't pay. He berated her and smacked her around for her actions, reminding her that she had a quota to meet and would be punished for offering her services for free. Her excuses fell on deaf ears. He unleashed his anger upon her, striking her repeatedly. It was too much for me. Nobody was allowed to hurt my woman. Therefore, I decided to step in."

He chuckled a little.

"It wasn't because I was the kind to help people, far from it. This time though, it felt personal. She was being punished because I broke my promise. This matter was supposed to only concern me and him. When he didn't listen to me I pushed him away and tried to make a run for it, but she wouldn't follow me. She was so used to this lifestyle that she actually saw herself as his property. Being beaten and taken advantage of was part of her daily life. I didn't understand at the time how someone could live like that, but now I realize that not all people are allowed to think for themselves. Sometimes, the comfort of stability is enough to accept this kind of abuse."

 _What did they call it…Stockholm Syndrome, was it?_

"The time it took me to realize she wasn't going to come with me, the man had already taken a knife out from his belt. He started slashing at me blindly. He had no coordination, but plenty of strength and fury to keep going. I had nothing with me except my clothes on the floor, so my only option was to avoid him. I used the wooden pillar in the center of the room as a shield and he struck hard enough to get the knife wedged inside. I took this chance to grab the chair in the corner and strike him as hard as I could over the head with it, knocking him to the floor. I hit him several times before she grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from him, telling me to stop. It made no sense to me that she was on his side instead of mine. As such, I was dumbfounded for far too long. I didn't even notice as the man got up and retrieved his knife. I instinctively dodged his hit, but she didn't. He struck her in the stomach as hard as he could."

My eyes widened. I understood now why he didn't want to remember this event.

"She fell to the floor, bleeding profusely. The sight of her in such pain made my blood boil. I kicked the knife out of that bastard's hands and poked his eyes out. He writhed around blindly and gave me enough time to grab the blanket off the floor and strangle him from behind with it as a makeshift rope. The pudgy bastard had a thick neck, so he went down quite hard. He struggled throughout, trying to throw me off his back as I rode him like the animal that he was. He eventually caved in and slumped to the ground. He wasn't dead yet, just unconscious. I picked up the knife and started stabbing him repeatedly. I'm certain he died at some point, but I wasn't willing to stop. His soul didn't deserve a fair sendoff. I kept going, tearing into him until I felt satisfied or just ran out of strength."

I bit my lip as I imagined the gruesome scene. I almost forgot how cruel he could be.

"She was barely with me by the time I got to her. I tried to put pressure on her wound to stop the bleeding, but she didn't want me to touch her. She had witnessed everything and wanted nothing to do with me. And then she said something I never expected to hear her from her. She told me she hated me. After everything I did for her, she called me a monster and spat in my face. It was all my fault it ended up like this, she said, and she wished she'd never met me. Or rather, it would've been better if I's never been born at all. She left me with these words as she died in my arms. What pisses me off to this day is that I couldn't bring myself to hate her, even after she said all that. Love had truly taken a toll on me and it took me a long time to recover. I'm truly grateful that I've never been this weak ever since."

He sounded bitter. I wanted to hold his hand to comfort him but he swatted me away. He didn't want my pity.

Refusing to love wasn't a solution. He couldn't just shut himself up like this but I had no idea what to tell him.

We ended up staring into the distance for what felt like an eternity.

"It's not going to come, is it?" he brought me back to the present, still looking towards the empty road and I nodded.

We're going to have to take a cab, if we manage to even spot one. I hoped he had kept enough money for it.

"Alright then, guess we walk" he stated, jumping to his feet and gesturing for me to get up as well.

"That's impossible! We're really far away! It'll take us more than an hour to get home!" I explained. "It's very late and besides, I don't want to go on foot in this cold" I insisted, rubbing my goose-pimpled arms for emphasis.

He took off his sweater and put it on me without saying a word. It felt warm and soft.

"There, now you can walk"

I wanted to tell him to take it back, that he was going to get sick wearing just a tank top in this weather but he was already too far ahead to hear me. Instead, I just ran after him and tried my best to keep up the pace.

He walked faster than me. After a while I felt rather exhausted. We still had a long way to go and my feet were aching. I sat down on a rock by the side of the road to catch my breath. He saw me giving up and glared at me, tugging on my arm to try to bring me to my feet.

"Give me a minute. I'll get up on my own." I sighed, though I knew I needed a lot more time than that.

He rolled his eyes and picked me up like a sack, throwing me onto his back and holding onto my legs as he started running down the road. His neck and arms were warm even though they were exposed to the harsh autumn breeze. I never understood how he still had this much energy in him, especially while carrying a load as heavy as me, but overall it felt comforting.

My mind wandered to what that woman had told him in his story.

 _'You are a monster'_

She wasn't wrong. The only reason it even got to him was because he knew it too. At the same time, he did a lot of good things for me, even if it wasn't intentional. He was a lot more reliable than I gave him credit for.

At least, as long as I was going to stay on his side.

We got home faster than expected. He made me take a hot shower to warm up, even though I wasn't the one who had to endure the cold that night. By the time I was done, he was already in bed.

He had his back to me, his arms draped around the blanket. He wasn't quite asleep, but he didn't seem to be very conscious either.

Even so, he felt me there by the door despite me being completely silent. He didn't turn around, his mouth moving on its own. I looked down on the floor, noticing the empty bottles. He had drank some more, even after getting home.

"You know-" he started. I didn't know if he was actually talking to me or if he was just talking to himself and ignoring my presence.

"-I envy your brother. I've always wanted a sibling, but my parents died before I got that wish. The fact that you're here…even if it's not the same, this whole thing…feels rather nice…"

His voice trailed off as he finally fell asleep.


End file.
